The US Department of Justice has stated that former President Donald Trump can be held accountable for derogatory remarks he made about a woman who accused him of rape, BBC reports.
Previously, government lawyers argued that Trump was immune from legal action as he made the comments while serving as president in 2019. However, on Tuesday, government attorneys reversed their position, stating that there was no longer sufficient basis to conclude that Trump's remarks fell within the scope of his presidential duties. This development strengthens E Jean Carroll's defamation lawsuit against Trump.
In May, Trump was ordered to pay $5mn to the former magazine columnist, E Jean Carroll, after being found liable for sexually assaulting her in 1996. Carroll, who is seeking $10mn in the defamation lawsuit, refers to Trump's comments as president about her in 2019 as evidence. The lawsuit has been updated to include additional remarks he made about her during a CNN town hall after the court's verdict.
The US Department of Justice's previous position was that government attorneys could defend Trump as his remarks were made in his capacity as president. However, they now assert that Trump's motivations were personal, unrelated to his role as president. The justice department cited new evidence that emerged since Trump left office, including the Manhattan civil trial earlier this year. The department emphasized that the accusations prompting Trump's statements were related to a personal incident of alleged sexual assault that occurred prior to his presidency.
Carroll's lawyer, Roberta A Kaplan, welcomed the justice department's reconsideration, asserting that Trump's defamatory statements were driven by personal animosity rather than his presidential role. In response, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, dismissing the case as part of a political witch hunt and making false claims that he never knew Carroll, labeling the case a "travesty of justice."
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