Condemnation of Trump

 

In a trial for alleged rape against Donald Trump, the nine members of the jury have reached a verdict in record time, less than three hours. The jury has determined that there was no rape, but sexual abuse in a civil case in which it has also agreed on the amount of compensation sought by the complainant, E. Jean Carroll, which will be five million dollars. Of all the allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior that have dogged Trump in recent decades, this is the only one that has gone to trial. The prosecution, led by attorney Roberta Kaplan, called 10 witnesses; the defense, by the hand of Joe Tacopina, none, betting on the inconsistency of the evidence and the time that has elapsed since the event. Trump has contested the verdict, calling it a "disgrace" and insisting that he does not know the plaintiff, and his campaign has announced it plans to appeal. In this blog, we analyze the impact of the verdict and the context in which it occurred.

 

This verdict is significant because, of all the allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior that have dogged Trump in recent decades, this is the only one that has gone to trial. The trial has lasted just two weeks and was held in federal court in Manhattan, New York. Because it was a civil, not criminal, trial, Trump did not face possible prison sentences. The jury found that there was no rape, but sexual abuse, and agreed on the amount of compensation sought by the complainant, E. Jean Carroll, which will be five million dollars.

 

The prosecution, led by the energetic lawyer Roberta Kaplan, called 10 witnesses; the defense, led by Joe Tacopina, called none, betting on the inconsistency of the evidence and the time elapsed since the event, in addition to re-victimizing the victim. Leslie Lebowitz, a clinical psychologist who advised the prosecution, testified exactly the opposite: that the victim's shock during the assault would prevent her from screaming. The fact that the defense did not call witnesses or present evidence suggests that it was confident in the prosecution's lack of evidence.

 

Trump has fired back at the verdict, calling it a "disgrace," and insisting that he does not know the plaintiff. His campaign has announced that it plans to appeal the verdict, doubting the "impartiality" of the judicial system "in some US jurisdictions" such as New York, compromised, in his view, "by the extremist left-wing politics" of the Democratic Party. Trump's stance surprises no one, as he has always denied the accusation and accused the complainant of making up the story to boost sales of her book.