The former president of the United States made the mistake when facing a lawsuit for sexual assault and defamation.
Donald Trump he mistook journalist E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of rape in the 1990s, for his ex-wife Marla Maples. This is revealed by a judicial document of a statement made in October that was released this Thursday in the United States.
The paths of Trump (76 years old) and Carroll (79) have crossed on the New York stands with a double civil case since 2019. The former columnist for the magazine Elle sued him for defamation and rape. She claims that the former US president raped her in a department store dressing room in New York in 1995 or 1996.
In June 2019, the then-president described his accusations as a “complete lie.” Faced with this situation, Carroll filed a lawsuit for defamation. Later in November, he filed a second lawsuit under a new law that allowed him to sue him for assault, despite the fact that the statute of limitations for the crime had passed.
Both parties filed their affidavits last October. The video of Trump’s appearance was made public this week, which aired a unusual situation.
During his testimony on October 19, the politician and businessman reaffirmed his line of defense from his Mar-a-Lago mansion: “I will say this with the greatest respect: first, she’s not my type; Second, the crime of which he is accused never happened.
Trump said that while it’s not “politically correct” to say she’s not his type, he said he had to defend himself. He added that it was not meant to be taken as an insult.
But when shown a photo of himself with Carroll at a 1990s reception, he replied, “That’s Marla, that’s my wife.” It was Alina Habba, his own lawyer, who came to his rescue and corrected him.
Donald Trump, who was married from 1993 to 1999 to actress Marla Maples and met his current wife Melania in 1998, will appear in court in New York on April 10.
Other responses from Donald Trump in the statement
According to sources cited by CNN and the Washington Post, the blunder risks undermining one of the main arguments of Trump’s defense: that he could not have sexually assaulted Carroll because he was not his type.
At the same hearing, when asked if he ever kissed a woman without her consent, Trump testified hesitantly: “Well, no… I can’t think of any complaints. But no. I mean, I don’t think so.” He also denied having touched a woman’s breasts or buttocks.
Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, asked her: “Have you ever pressured a woman to have sex with you?” To which the former president replied in his defiant style: “The answer is no. But you may have some people, like your client, who are willing to lie.”
With information from ANSA and AFP
DB​