NEW YORK (AP) – Asked about the lawsuit, former President Donald Trump became angry and threatened to sue a columnist who accused him of raping him at a department store in the 1990s, according to excerpts of testimony recorded on video that was unsealed by the court on Friday. .
Portions of a 5 1/2-hour October deposition in a lawsuit filed by columnist E. Jean Carroll were released publicly after a federal judge denied a lawyer’s request to keep it sealed.
“He said I did something to him that never happened. Nothing. I don’t know anything about this nut job,” he said, according to the transcript.
The quote refers to a contentious battle between Trump and Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer for Carroll, who questioned her because Trump called the former longtime Elle magazine columnist a “complete fraud” in which she described rape because she was “really promoting. a book of pebbles.”
“I’m going to sue him after this is over, and that’s what I want. And I’m going to sue you, too,” he told Kaplan.
The release of excerpts from the deposition came the same day that Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, who is not related to the attorney, also denied a request by Trump’s lawyers to throw out two lawsuits by Carroll alleging defamation and rape. An April trial is planned.
Trump has repeatedly said the meeting with Carroll in the mid-1990s in an upscale Manhattan department store never happened.
In his testimony, Trump repeatedly attacked Carroll’s portrayal of him as a rapist.
Trump said he knew it wasn’t “politically correct” to say “he’s not my type” when responding to a statement shortly after Carroll’s 2019 book was published. The author said that she was attacked by Trump in the dressing room after a chance meeting in the store and he agreed to help her choose lingerie for a friend.
“But I’ll say anything,” he said. “She accused me of rape, a woman I didn’t know who she was. It came out of the blue. She accused me of raping her, the worst thing you can do, the worst accusation.
Speaking to her lawyer, she added: “And you know it’s not true either. You’re also a political operative. You’re despicable. But they accused me and you too of rape, and it never happened.
At one point in his deposition, Trump called Carroll “sick, mentally ill.” He mischaracterized an interview Carroll gave on CNN, falsely claiming that he had talked about being sexually assaulted. “They actually showed that they loved it. Right? They loved it until the commercial break,” Trump said. “In fact, I think she’s sexy, right? She said being raped was very sexy. Didn’t he say that?”
Kaplan, Carroll’s lawyer, later tried to claim from Trump that he had raped his client.
“So, Sir, I just want to confirm: It is your testimony that E. Jean Carroll said that she enjoyed being sexually assaulted by you?”
Trump replied: “Yes, based on the interview with Anderson Cooper, I believe that happened. And we can determine that. … I think he said that rape is sex – which it is not, by the way.
What Carroll says in his writing, and in an interview with Cooper, is that he doesn’t like using the word rape because some other people “think rape is sexy.” He said he preferred the term “war”.
At another point in the deposition, Kaplan asked Trump if he had ever touched a woman on her breasts or buttocks or any other sexual part without her consent.
“Well, I’ll tell you no, but you might have some people like your client who lie,” he replied.
Late Friday, Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba issued a statement, saying: “While it is not necessary to disclose the transcript, both parties previously agreed to remain confidential, our client has nothing to hide and hopes to resolve this pointless case.
Roberta Kaplan declined to comment on the release of the deposition excerpt.
Kaplan, the Manhattan judge, earlier Friday upheld the lawsuit alleging rape and defamation and seeking unspecified damages by Carroll, saying he could proceed with the trial because Trump’s challenge was futile.
“The fact that Mr. Trump denied Ms. Carroll’s allegations does not enter into the analysis at this stage of the case,” the lawyer wrote. “What, if anything happens, will have to wait for further proceedings if the complaint survives the current motion.”
Habba said in a statement: “While we are disappointed by the Court’s decision, we intend to immediately appeal the order and continue to support our clients’ constitutionally protected rights.”
In his ruling, the judge said the Adult Survivors Act is similar to the Child Victims Act, another New York state law that temporarily allows victims of childhood sexual assault to sue their abusers years later.
Carroll initially sued Trump for defamation after he mocked her claiming he sexually assaulted her. Carroll sued Trump with rape charges in November, when the Adult Survivors Act took effect.