Trump has spoken out about allegations of sexual misconduct and is still dealing with cases related to the mishandling of confidential documents and his actions after the 2020 presidential election.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Friday spoke publicly about a series of past allegations of sexual misconduct, likely reminding voters of little-known or long-forgotten incidents.
He did so shortly after appearing in court to appeal a ruling that found him guilty of sexual assault.
The former US president (2017-2021) made reacting with sharp attacks against opponents and accusers a central element of his political identity, but the statements he issued this Friday in the Manhattan office tower that bears his name were disconcerting, even by his standards.
According to the American news agency Associated Press (AP), at times he even seemed to enjoy using explicit language and describing the case that could land him in new legal trouble, in comments that come just four days before his televised debate with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, the current vice president of the United States, and as early voting is about to begin in some areas of the country, two months before the presidential elections on November 5.
Although he repeatedly referred to his opponent’s absence from press conferences on Friday, his statements focused, for more than half an hour, on the ongoing legal proceedings against him, without addressing any campaign issues.
And, in the end, after calling the journalists to what he said was a press conference, he left the place without answering questions.
A jury returned a verdict convicting Trump of payment of compensation worth five million dollars (4.5 million euros), after finding him guilty of sexually abusing columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996, a decision that his legal team appealed and presented its arguments on Friday.
Two juries have already awarded Carroll large sums of money because Trump claimed she fabricated a story about him attacking her in a department store dressing room in 1996 to help sell a memoir she wrote.
But this did not stop him from continuing to make almost identical statements to journalists: this Friday he again said that Carroll was telling a “false and invented story.”
Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, warned in March after a jury awarded Carroll an additional $83 million (74.8 million euros) that she would continue to monitor Trump’s comments and consider suing him again if he continued his behavior.
E. Jean Carroll is one of more than a dozen women who have accused Trump of sexual harassment or assault.
Trump faces unprecedented criminal and civil risk in the United States from a major party candidate.
He was separately convicted of 34 felonies in a case that took place in New York state. related to payments allegedly made to a porn actress to buy her silence.
He was also ordered to pay heavy fines to the state for lying for years about the extent of his wealth.
And he is still dealing with cases related to his mishandling of confidential documents, his actions after the 2020 presidential election and his role in inciting the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, while a joint session of the two chambers of Congress was taking place to validate the election results that gave victory to his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden.
However, it is highly unlikely that any of these cases will go to trial before Election Day.
Source: Observadora
