“Katie Johnson” was just 13 years old in 1994, when she alleges that she was solicited for sex acts at the Manhattan homes of both Donald J. Trump and convicted billionaire pedophile Jeffery Epstein. According to Snopes, Johnson (an alias) is seeking $100 million dollars. Some questions — some answers:
Does Johnson provide details? Yes. She cites being “forced to engage in an unnatural lesbian sex act with her fellow minor and sex slave, Maria Doe, age 12, for the sexual enjoyment of Defendant Trump” at what she terms “sex parties”.
Was Johnson’s case thrown out? Yes. The original case, which was filed by the plaintiff in California, was thrown out by a District Judge on 02 May 16. With the assistance of qualified legal expertise, a similar case was brought to a New York federal court on 20 June 16.
Has the statue of limitations expired on this case? Yes. Johnson’s attorney is petitioning the court to let this case proceed, however, because the plaintiff, Johnson, lacked the "freedom of will to institute suit earlier in time".
Does this mean that Johnson was threatened? Johnson’s legal counsel alleges that the plaintiff was paralyzed into inaction by fear because of threats made by Trump — specifically that “her family would be physically harmed if not killed.”
Is there reason to believe that such threats are credible? Apparently defendants (Epstein and Trump) both impressed upon the plaintiff that they were wealthy, powerful, and easily within their full capacities to carry out such threats.
Does Johnson accuse Trump of rape? In an affidavit which doesn’t lack detail, Johnson alleges that she met Trump at four such parties, and was tied to a bed with pantyhose and forcibly raped by him at the fourth and final encounter. Trump allegedly responded to her repeated cries to stop by striking her in the face with his open hand, and screaming that he would “do whatever he wanted”.
How was Johnson lured into such a situation? The plaintiff testifies that she met a woman who identified herself as “Tiffany” who told her that if she participated in these parties, she would meet people who could be influential in realizing her dream of a modeling career. Tiffany plays a role in the case, and is known by the name of Tiffany Doe.
What what Trump’s relationship with Jeffery Epstein like? Trump was quoted over a speakerphone with this endorsement: "I've known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy. He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. . . .”
Is it true that Jeffery Epstein has settled similar cases out of court? Jane Doe 102 charged that the 56 year old money manager Epstein exhorted her to "serve his every sexual whim" beginning at the age of fifteen. Doe claims that he flew her around the world to be exploited by Epstein’s friends including including “royalty, politicians, academicians [and] businessmen”.
It is known that Jane Doe 102 was the beneficiary of one of at least two such settlements for an undisclosed amount which was likely to be into at least six figures.
Is Epstein facing other similar civil suits? Jeffery Epstein is facing more than a dozen such suits from women who claim he sexually abused them as minors at his Palm Beach mansion.
Is Epstein a convicted sex offender? Yes, according to Wikipedia,
In June 2008, after pleading guilty to a single state charge of soliciting prostitution from girls as young as 14, Epstein began serving an 18-month sentence. He served 13 months, and upon release became a registered sex offender. There is widespread controversy and suspicion that Epstein got off lightly.
Does Johnson cite confirmed witnesses? Just a small part of Tiffany Doe’s testimony:
I personally witnessed the one occasion where Mr. Trump forced the Plaintiff and a 12-year-old female named Maria [to] perform oral sex on Mr. Trump and witnessed his physical abuse of both minors when they finished the act.
Is there evidence that Tiffany Doe is a credible witness? According to her own testimony in the June 20th court document, Doe’s capacity was as a paid agent of Donald Trump:
It was my job to personally witness and supervise encounters between the underage girls that Mr. Epstein hired and his guests.
What is the current status of the case? Due to the discovery of yet another (undisclosed at this time) witness, the case was refiled just last Monday, 03 October 2016.
Snopes is the main source of my information here, and as investigative journalists go, they tend to be pretty reliable. There are few cited instances out there where they’ve gotten something substantially wrong. Snopes keeps its material closely held by copyright, so I encourage you to get a much better feel for the intricate detail of the Katie Johnson case by reading the Snopes account directly from their web page.
If this case goes to trial, I wouldn’t want to be Trump’s defense attorney. The steep road that Trump’s counselor would have to climb includes credible eyewitnesses, a sex party partner who’s already been convicted, and a pattern of demonstrable, corresponding behavior which goes back decades.
I also want to emphasize that it’s my heartfelt hope that my modest piece here takes nothing away from my friend SwedishJewFish’s incredibly well-written and researched piece from a few days back. On the contrary, SJF’s masterwork was the inspiration for my modest contribution. We’re stronger together.