Donald Trump ‘destroyed reputation’ of writer E Jean Carroll, lawyer says

Donald Trump “used the world’s biggest microphone” to “destroy” the reputation of writer E. Jean Carroll, a US court has heard.

Shawn Crowley said the former US president launched verbal attacks against her over four days in June 2019 after Ms Carroll wrote in a memoir that Trump had sexually abused her in a dressing room of a luxury department store in the 1990s.

The lawyer, who represents Ms Carroll, gave the comments during her opening statement of a civil defamation case held at Manhattan’s federal court in New York.

The trial is being held to established how much in damages Trump should pay Ms Carroll after a jury found last year he had sexually abused and subsequently defamed her. Ms Carroll, 80, is seeking at least $10 million in damages.

Trump has denied wrongdoing and has appealed the jury’s verdicts and all rulings against him.

During the hearing on Tuesday, Ms Crowley told the court: “He used the world’s biggest microphone to attack Ms. Carroll, to humiliate her, and to destroy her reputation.

“He said this from the White House … where presidents have signed laws, declared wars and decided the fate of the nation.

“As he’s campaigning for president of the United States, Donald Trump continues to lie about Ms. Carroll.”

Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba said Ms Carroll was “basking in the limelight” in the years since she released her memoir and accused Trump of rape.

“She is looking for you to give her a windfall because some people on social media said mean things about her,” Ms Habba said.

Trump appeared at the court following his win at the Republican presidential caucuses in Iowa.

He sat at the defendant’s table during the jury selection process and left the court before the opening statements were given.

During his time in the courtroom, Trump’s lawyers first protested the trial itself, saying he was not being given a fair chance by Judge Lewis A Kaplan, claiming it was inappropriate for the trial to take place before the appeals had concluded.

Mr Kaplan responded saying it had already been determined at a trial last year that he “did sexually assault Ms Carroll”, prompting Trump to shake his head from side to side.

Earlier on Tuesday, Trump posted a series of social media posts about the defamation case.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, he said Ms Carroll’s rape claim was an “attempted EXTORTION” involving “fabricated lies and political shenanigans” and accused the judge of having “absolute hatred” for him.

Ms Carroll is due to give evidence today, while Trump has said he wants to testify.

Separately, on Tuesday, New York’s Court of Appeals dismissed an appeal from Trump’s lawyers to remove a gag order placed on him during a civil fraud trial.

The court reinstated an order from Judge Arthur Engoron, which prohibited Trump and his lawyers from making public statements about the courtroom staff during the $370 million trial which concluded last week.