A civil trial over rape allegations against Donald Trump has begun in the absence of the former US President. As expected, the Republican did not travel to New York at the start of the proceedings yesterday. According to media reports, after the twelve jurors were initially chosen on the first day of the session, the opening arguments in the case began.
US author Jean Carroll accuses Trump of raping her in a New York department store in the mid-1990s. The real estate entrepreneur, who was not yet active as a politician at the time, rejects the accusation. The allegations are statute-barred under criminal law, but legal recourse was still open to Carroll under civil law.
Carroll wants compensation
It is estimated that the process could take a week. Trump’s attorney Joseph Tacopina said the former president would like to come to New York but wanted to spare the city the huge logistical effort that would be associated with a trip to the east coast metropolis and the central district of Manhattan.
Carroll, now 79, is demanding compensation from Trump. She had made the rape allegation public in 2019 in a book excerpt. At the time, Trump responded, among other things, by remarking that Carroll was not his type. He also accused her of just wanting to boost sales of her book. The writer then sued Trump – initially for defamation because he had portrayed her as a liar. A new New York law recently made it possible to add the allegation of physical harm.
Trump speaks again of “witch hunt”
The mood in the US regarding the legal prosecution of Trump is heated. The 76-year-old is being investigated for a number of possible crimes. Trump himself describes the law enforcement authorities’ actions against him as a politically motivated “witch hunt”. He wants to get the Republicans to nominate him for the 2024 presidential election.
In early April, Trump became the first former US president to be criminally indicted. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg accused him of trying to increase his chances in the 2016 presidential election by paying hush money to two women, thereby violating election laws.
