Sexual abuse case verdict 'disgrace': Trump
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Former US President Donald Trump claimed the verdict regarding his guilt in the sexual abuse case as a "disgrace".
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E. Jean Carroll, center, walks out of Manhattan federal court, May 9, 2023, in New York, the United States (AP)
Donald Trump censured Tuesday the verdict of a New York jury finding him liable for sexual abuse and defamation against a former magazine writer.
Trump claimed the verdict was a "disgrace", insisting that he was the subject of a witch hunt.
"This verdict is a disgrace -- a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time," the former president, using all capital letters, posted on his Truth Social media platform.
"I have absolutely no idea who this woman is," he added in reference to E. Jean Carroll, who brought the lawsuit against him.
This comes after multiple US media outlets reported that a New York jury ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump was liable for the sexual abuse of an American former magazine columnist in the mid-1990s.
The nine jurors decided following a civil trial that the ex-president did not rape E. Jean Carroll but did find him liable for defaming her, The New York Times, CNN and others reported.
Trump has been ordered to pay Carroll a total of $5 million in damages, the reports said.
Trump has been embroiled in various legal controversies as of late, especially with regard to his sexual conduct.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office filed a lawsuit against Trump, and its main focus is a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress who claimed she had an affair with Trump. He has denied the relationship.
It is worth noting that the former President is the first US president to ever face criminal charges.
Trump's legal team maintained the former president's innocence. "President Trump has been indicted. He did not commit any crime," attorneys Joe Tacopina and Susan Necheles stated. "We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in Court."
Simultaneously, Trump issued a statement, referring to it as a “witch-hunt,” and adding that the move was an attempt by Democrats to meddle in the 2024 election.
The indictment is certain to cast a shadow over Trump's 2024 presidential candidacy and opens the door to several possibilities. He may have to run for President while facing a criminal trial if he enters a not-guilty plea and the matter proceeds to trial, which can take several months. However, if he were to win a second term while being sentenced to prison or already serving one, several constitutional problems would arise.
Trump affirmed that his indictment wouldn't preclude him from running for office again. At CPAC in March, when asked if he would still run in 2024 if formally accused, Trump responded, “Oh absolutely. I wouldn’t even think about leaving.”
The former President could also face criminal charges for his alleged attempts to tamper with Georgia's 2020 election results, for taking classified papers from the White House (and thwarting efforts to get them back), and for his alleged participation in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
