Yesterday at Mar-a-Lago, Trump was deposed in the defamation/ rape case which E. Jean Carroll filed in November 2019. And that’s why she “bested” him. She had so many hoops to jump through to get to this point, and I applaud her!
According to NPR, Former President Donald Trump answered all the questions under oath yesterday about allegedly raping her in a department store dressing room in 1995 or 1996 (I’m not sure why the date isn’t clear.)
When Ms. Carroll made the filing, it was her only option then. But, “in May, New York passed a law giving adult sexual assault victims a one-time opportunity to file civil lawsuits, even if the statutes of limitations have long expired.” (Drum roll!)
So...according to a letter Ms. Carroll’s lawyer Roberta A. Kaplan, sent to the federal judge overseeing the defamation lawsuit, on November 24, 2022, the start of a one-year window in which the law allows such suits to be filed, Ms. Kaplan will file the rape case against Mr. Trump on Ms Carroll’s behalf.
What an extraordinary opportunity for women in New York to seek justice. And, I wonder how many women who were harmed by sexual deviant Trump will come forward? Ever since Donald Trump entered the White House and even though he was booted out after he lost the 2020 election, and caused the Jan 6 Insurrection and coup, his plague-like misogynist (and seditionist) behavior has spread virulently throughout our country.
As a proud baby boomer who came of age in the late sixties during the women’s movement, to me, Donald Trump always has been a disgusting sexist misogynist pig, who should have been reviled, and pilloried in a town square rather than elected president. The damage Trump has done to women in his lifetime infuriates me. It wasn’t enough that he pulled out handfuls of his wife Ivana’s hair when one of her doctors angered him, or encouraged girlfriend Marla Maples to say, “Trump was the best sex I ever had.” And, when he left Marla for Melania, Trump bragged about “feeling her up in public” on the Howard Stern show. There is something fundamentally wrong with a man who needs public affirmation of his sexual prowess, and enjoys humiliating, and hurting his wives. And, there is something fundamentally wrong with the women who endure that. So, it was no surprise that through the years, twenty-six women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct.
But, only one woman, E. Jean Carroll (and her attorney Roberta A. Kaplan), persevered so the defamation/rape case will be heard.
When I think of Carroll’s rage and anger since 1995-1996 (those are the dates everyone gives), and her desire to seek justice for an unspeakable act of sexual violence that happened about 27 years ago, it had to be something so awful, that she wouldn’t let it go. Luckily for her, she told two friends about it, almost immediately afterwards, and they can testify.
It was a heavy load to carry, albeit courageous, for almost three decades. And, it reminds me of two other brave and courageous women who testified against two powerful Republican men: Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas SCOTUS hearing and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford during the Brett Kavanaugh SCOTUS hearing. Thomas, Trump, and Kavanaugh should have faced trials, instead, they were sworn into two of the highest offices in our country.
When I think of Trump, and I rarely do, it was his sexism and disrespect for women that bothered me from the very start (well, racism too). His Billy Bush interview in which he bragged about grabbing them by the p*ssy disgusted me. His nonstop screaming ar his rallies to lock up former First Lady, Secretary of State, and Senator Hilary Clinton sickened me. Trump’s frequent demeaning name-calling of any powerful woman who disagreed with him, whether it was Bette Middler, Arianna Huffington, or Congresswoman Maxine Waters, made my blood boil. His rationale for supporting Kavanaugh when others wanted to remove him shocked me (Given the rape accusation, Trump felt he could control Kavanaugh). And Trump’s boorishness, and ban manners on the world stage when he first met Chancellor Angela Merkel, Bridgette Macron, and even Queen Elizabeth, should have embarrassed all Americans.
The truth is that “Donald Trump’s rise in our country marked the death of civility.” While it’s not illegal to be a beastly bully-boy barbarian, it is noxious. But, since there were so many examples of his criminality, lawlessness, and sedition during his presidency, I kept on assuming he would be impeached and convicted. But, nothing happened because he was protected by the most corrupt, villainous insurgents within the Republican Cult.
After years spent waiting for Trump to be held responsible for the 19 active cases against him, and the 55 uncharged cases that ainelli has written about, in addition to trying to overturn the government, stealing classified documents and so much more, when I read that he would be deposed yesterday by E. Jean Carroll’s attorney, my heart soared.
At first I hoped he would be humiliated by the experience, but it wasn’t public, and he’s a sociopath anyway. Perhaps we have to wait until the rape case is heard next year, to see how he feels about having a mouth swab DNA test. The very thought of it makes me gleeful. What would make me euphoric is if E. Jean Carroll, a woman and a journalist, makes Trump look like the sexual predator he is, and he’s finally publicly ostracized. I know he’ll be found guilty in other criminal cases, but this one, which is a civil case, resonates with me because it’s so personal, and Ms. Carroll has so steadfastly moved forward despite all the obstacles.
And, once the sexual predator dough boy falls, we need to start going after the rest. At my very core, I believe that everyone who has participated in the Republican War Against Women should be punished. It was through the actions of an amoral, and corrupt alleged rapist president; his power-hungry Minority Leader McConnell; an extremist rogue SCOTUS, composed of an alleged rapist, an alleged sexual harasser, and a Stepford Wife, among others; and advanced by depraved power-hungry Republican governors, state leaders, and legislatures, with the support of Republican billionaires and evangelical ministers, who have tirelessly worked to enable our government to seize control of our reproductive rights.
But, yesterday was a day to remember. It truly was a profile in courage for E. Jean Carroll. And whether or not she wins her defamation/rape case, she has proven herself to be a heroic fighter for justice. And, I applaud her!