Visualize Donald Trump in a deposition with the lawyers for E. Jean Carrol, who accused him of raping her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. Blue suit, red tie, red-tinged-orange face. Arms crossed. Cheeks huffing. “I will sue her after this is over, and that’s the thing I really look forward to doing. And I’ll sue you too,” he harumphs.
According to the Associated Press, Trump vehemently denied attacking Carroll, at times claiming he didn’t even know her. He dismissed her in the sworn deposition for a defamation case Carroll brought, which was taken last October. Trump called her a “nut job” and saying she made the claim to sell her “really crummy book.”
There are two defamation cases involving Carroll. The first, filed when Trump was president for comments made while Trump was president, is being challenged on the grounds that Trump was acting in his official capacity as president when he defamed Carroll. The second, for which this deposition was taken, resulted from comments made after Trump left office because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.