OAN’s Abril Elfi
6:25 PM – Tuesday, January 16, 2024
Former President Donald Trump appeared in court to watch the selection of jurors for the second trial against E. Jean Carroll.
On Tuesday, the 45th president appeared in the Manhattan courtroom in order to watch the juror process, as he is currently facing allegations of sexual assault from Carroll.
Carroll is a journalist, author, and former advice columnist.
Carroll is expected to take the stand on Wednesday against the 2024 GOP front-runner.
Trump has been previously ordered to pay $5 million at a previous trial after jurors found him liable for allegedly “sexually abusing [her] in a Bergdorf Goodman fitting room in 1996” and then “defaming her” by posting that Carroll’s claims were a “complete con job” on an online platform in 2022.
After leaving court on Tuesday, Trump discussed the case on social media.
He maintained that Carroll’s rape allegation was an “attempted EXTORTION” involving “fabricated lies and political shenanigans” on his Truth Social platform. He also asserted that the judge harbored “absolute hatred” for him.
In 2019, a judge ruled that Trump had allegedly defamed Carroll. More than $10 million is now being sought by her and her legal team.
Trump’s appearance comes after a district judge denied his request to delay the trial, which the former president had requested so that he could attend his late mother-in-law’s funeral.
Last week, former First Lady Melania Trump announced that her mother, Amalija Knavs, had passed away at 78.
In a letter on Friday to Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, Trump lawyer Alina Habba explained that the former president wanted to attend his trial over allegations raised by Carroll, but also wished to attend the funeral of his mother-in-law.
Kaplan issued a ruling later that day rejecting the request, adding that the court “offers its condolences” but the “application is DENIED.”
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