E Jean Carroll lawyer calls Trump a ‘witness against himself’ as defence slammed as ‘harebrained’

Lawyers for E Jean Carroll called Donald Trump a “witness against himself” in the closing arguments in the civil rape trial of the former president, whose defense was described as “insane” by a lawyer representing the 79-year-old writer.

Lawyer Robert Kaplan began her conclusion Monday in Manhattan court by calling Ms. Carroll’s testimony “credible,” “consistent,” and “powerful.”

“You saw it yourself. E Jean Carroll didn’t hide anything,” Ms. Kaplan told the jury.

Ms. Carroll sued Mr. Trump in 2019 and 2022, alleging that he raped her in a fitting room at the Berghof Goodman department store in Manhattan in the mid-1990s. She argues that he later defamed her when he aggressively denied her claims. Mr Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

While Mr Trump himself declined to testify at the trial — or even attend it at all — Ms Kaplan used his October video testimony in the case to destroy his credibility.

She pointed to the moment when Mr Trump confused Mrs Carroll and his then-wife Marla Maple In one photo, he said he “pointed at Mrs. Carroll, the woman he allegedly said was not his type”.

“He only corrected himself when his own attorney” corrected him, she added.

Mr Trump “did [what] he always does,” if he’s caught doing something wrong, Ms. Kaplan said.

“He made up an excuse,” claiming it was “fuzzy,” the attorney added.

Reference to the infamous Access Hollywood Ms Kaplan, who emerged just before the 2016 election, said: “He grabbed her with his words ‘at the P****’.”

“He didn’t even bother to appear in person,” Ms Kaplan said of Mr Trump choosing not to attend the hearing.

“In a very real sense, Trump is a witness against himself,” the attorney said of Mr Trump’s video testimony.

She said Mr Trump “knows what he did. He knows he sexually assaulted E Jean Carroll.”

Ms. Kaplan gave a timeline of the alleged attack during her closing arguments, saying it happened while Ms. Carroll was the hostess Ask E Jean At America speaks between 1994 and 1996.

America speaks was run by Roger Ailes, who later served as CEO and chairman of Fox News before being ousted after a series of sexual misconduct allegations.

Ms Kaplan noted that at the time of Mr Trump’s alleged rape, Ms Carroll was wearing a wool dress with tights but no coat, which she said indicated the type of weather that day Law & Crime.

Ms Carroll said it must have taken place after her friend Lisa Birnbach published her story on Mar-a-Lago, which was published in February 1996.

The author said she believes it happened on a Thursday because the department store was open late.

“She was trying to come to terms with the fact that she was assaulted,” Ms. Kaplan said during her closing argument on Monday.

The attorney noted that her client remembered the attack “in great detail.”

Ms Kaplan spoke to the jury about why they showed Mr Ailes’ interview with Mr Trump from the 1990s.

She said Mr Ailes’ talk show was on the short-lived cable news channel America speaks was recorded in the same building and broadcast on the same network as Ms Carroll’s broadcast on the channel – Ask E Jean.

Ms Kaplan noted that Mr Trump would have seen the end of Ms Carroll’s program if he had seen his appearance on Mr Ailes’ show had he not changed channels at just the right moment.

Ms Carroll’s attorney noted that a former Berghof Goodman executive said there weren’t many people in the lingerie department Thursday night, especially in the spring.

Referring to Ms Carroll urging Mr Trump to try on the lingerie, Ms Kaplan said: “I think we understand what happened. It was a combination of humor and flirting,” the insider said Law & Crime.

“It was a joke. Ms. Carroll could see the joke in her mind,” added Ms. Kaplan. “The point was that it was funny.”

Speaking about what Mr Trump is said to have done to the writer, Ms Kaplan said: “He grabbed her by the p**** or by the vagina — I’m sorry for my language.”

Ms Kaplan added that Mr Trump verbally attacked Ms Carroll during his time in the White House after she went public with her allegation following the outbreak of the MeToo movement.

The attorney said her client began sleeping in her bed with a loaded gun because she was concerned about the implications of an IPO. accordingly Law & Crime.

Ms. Kaplan quoted psychological expert Dr. Leslie Lebowitz, who was hired by the Carroll legal team to testify at the trial.

“People have really weird, really unexpected reactions to traumatic situations all the time,” she said.

Trump attorney Joe Tacopina repeatedly questioned Ms Carroll that she did not scream during the alleged attack.

Ms Kaplan said crying is “one of the least likely things to actually happen”.

The attorney said her client remembered the attack in “vivid, colorful detail.”

“She remembers the sound of Trump’s heavy breathing as he stood facing the wall by her neck,” she said. “Some things she remembers vividly, others not so much.”

“The psychological expert in this case believes Ms. Carroll,” she added.

Discussing her view of defending Mr Trump in the case, Ms Kaplan said, “If a woman wants to accuse a man of sexual assault, she has to play the part.”

“That’s just wrong,” she added.

Ms Kaplan called out in his defense what she called a “big lie” from Mr Trump – his argument that Ms Carroll, witnesses Lisa Birnbach and Carol Martin are all not telling the truth.

“I’m sorry. Seriously? This is just ridiculous,” said Ms. Kaplan.

Mr Trump’s lies about the stolen 2020 election are also often referred to as the “big lie”.

Ms. Kaplan said that for Mr. Trump to win this case, the jury must find that Ms. Carroll, Ms. Birnbach and Ms. Martin all lied under oath.

“Does that even make sense, or does it suggest that there is a person here who is lying – and that person is Donald Trump?” the attorney asked.

Ms Kaplan showed a table of the allegations by Ms Carroll, Natasha Stoynoff and Jessica Leeds, showing they all took place in a “semi-public place”, Mr Trump grabbed them “suddenly” and later said they were “not my type.” “.

The attorney also noted that none of the women screamed, accordingly Law & Crime.

Ms Kaplan told the jury that for Mr Trump to win, “one has to conclude that Donald Trump, the continuous liar, is the only person here who is telling the truth”.

Ms. Kaplan said Carroll’s legal team will not seek specific damages.

“For E Jean Carroll, this lawsuit is not about the money,” the attorney said, adding that it was about “getting her name back.”

Carroll attorney Michael Ferrara began his rebuttal of Mr. Tacopina’s closing argument by telling the jury that Mr. Tacopina was a “very good attorney.”

But he said Mr Tacopina offered arguments instead of evidence before slamming his comments about respecting the legal system “when his own client didn’t have enough respect” to attend the trial.

“He never looked you in the eye and denied raping E Jean Carroll,” Mr Ferrara said of Mr Trump.

Mr Ferrara said Ms Birnbach and Ms Martin would not bet their professional credibility on a “insane” scheme to bring down Mr Trump. accordingly Law & Crime.

He also scoffed at the idea that the trio “modeled their secret, secret plan on one of the most popular shows on TV.” Law & Order SVU.