Brunswick Beacon, 02.08.24
Last May, a six-man, three-woman jury determined that Donald Trump sexually assaulted E. Jean Carroll. A second jury just awarded her $83.3 million because Trump kept defaming Carroll by calling her a liar, in spite of the May verdict.
When Trump asked the court to rule that his sexual assault on Carroll wasn’t rape, it backfired spectacularly. Judge Kaplan denied Trump’s motion and explained why:
“The only issue on which the jury did not find in Ms. Carroll’s favor was whether she proved that Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her within the narrow, technical meaning of that term in the New York penal law. Based on all of the evidence at trial and the jury’s verdict as a whole, the jury’s finding that Mr. Trump ‘sexually abused’ Ms. Carroll implicitly determined…that Mr. Trump in fact did ‘rape’ Ms. Carroll as that term commonly is used and understood.”
Republican leaders like Rep. Elise Stefanik enable Trump by denying his rape of Carroll. Asked if she believes the jury’s verdict, Stefanik said, “No, of course not!” While Trump’s rape didn’t stop Iowa and New Hampshire Republicans from choosing him, he got “absolutely crushed” by Independents.
Pondering what’s become of his party, former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said, "A lot of people in this country are out of touch with reality and will accept anything Donald Trump tells them. You had a jury say that Donald Trump raped a woman. And that doesn't seem to be moving the needle. There's a lot of things about today's electorate that I have a hard time understanding.”
Trump distracted from his rape of Carroll by sharing a bizarre video with the message, “God made Trump to be his caretaker.” Christian leaders say the video “demeans Christianity,” is “blasphemous” and “idolatrous.” Voters should remember that, while God made us all, God didn’t make Trump rape Carroll. Trump raped Carroll of his own free will.
Laura McGann
Leland