DOJ wants to defend Trump in lawsuit relating to rape allegation

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has sought to defend Donald Trump in a defamation lawsuit filed against him by E. Jean Carroll, a woman who has accused the president of sexual assault.

The alleged incident happened in the 1990s long before Trump became president, however, since his comments spurring the suit came while he was in office the Justice Department argued that it must take over. “Because President Trump was acting within the scope of his office or employment at the time of the incident out of which the plaintiff’s claim arose, the United States will file a motion to substitute itself for President Trump in this action for any claim for which the [ Federal Tort Claims Act] provides the exclusive remedy,” the DOJ filing said on Tuesday. The move to defend Trump at taxpayer expense comes amid criticism that the DOJ has acted in the Republican president's personal interests. Carroll, an advice columnist who for years wrote for Elle Magazine, is suing Trump personally alleging that he raped her in a dressing room at luxury Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman. Following the department’s decision, she issued a statement, saying, “Today’s actions demonstrate that Trump will do everything possible, including using the full powers of the federal government, to block discovery from going forward in my case before the upcoming election to try to prevent a jury from ever deciding which one of us is lying.” The DOJ’s move complicates, at least for the moment, her efforts to get a DNA sample from Trump as potential evidence and to have him answer questions under oath. Meanwhile, Trump has denied the allegation, calling it "totally false" and asserting he "never met this person in my life." Nearly 20 women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct, ranging from unwanted touching to groping to assault. Trump has denied any wrongdoing, and sometimes claimed that he does not know the women. The White House has called his accusers liars. “I’ve been falsely accused by people that I’ve never even seen, I’ve never even seen many of these people. And some of these people, I met them – zero interest, okay? Like zero,” Trump said. Weeks before the presidential election last November, The Washington Post released a tape in which Trump boasted about how he sexually assaulted women because he was powerful. SOURCE: PRESS TV




Related Contents

Leader warns against protracted talks on reviving Iran nuclear deal

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has warned against protracted talks aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, reiterating that Iran will only return to its commitments under the accord once it has verified that all US sanctions have been removed.

|

Israel to build 540 settler units in East al-Quds for first time since Biden inauguration

Israeli authorities have given the green light for the construction of hundreds of illegal settler units in the occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds in the first such measure since US President Joe Biden assumed office in late January.

|

Russia: US uses Daesh to hinder political solution to crisis in Syria

Russia says the United States makes use of the Daesh terrorist group to impede a political solution to the decade-long crisis in Syria and supports separatist militants in a flagrant violation of international resolutions.

|

US pulls three Patriot anti-missile batteries from Persian Gulf region: Report

The United States has removed at least three Patriot anti-missile batteries from the Persian Gulf region, in a first step under US President Joe Biden to pull the US forces away from the Middle East.

|

Iran Warns US Not to Delay Complying with JCPOA

President of Iran Hassan Rouhani reminded the US that any further delay in honoring the 2015 nuclear deal will be to its own detriment.

|