Donald Trump is set to go on trial soon, in the civil case filed against him by journalist E. Jean Carroll. But Trump might not show up in court, for a surprising reason.
Donald Trump Rape Civil Case: What We Know
On top of all of the criminal investigations he’s currently facing, former President Donald Trump is also facing a civil trial, stemming from the accusations of rape and defamation by journalist E. Jean Carroll. Carroll came forward in 2019, claiming that she was raped by Trump in 2019. Trump has maintained ever since that he did not assault Carroll.
Trump’s attorneys had attempted to delay the trial by a month after the former president was indicted in New York in a separate criminal case, but the judge rejected that request last week, and the trial is scheduled to begin next Tuesday and is expected to last about a week, also in New York City. Now, Trump is saying that he may not attend the trial.
According to the New York Times, which cited a letter from Trump attorney Joe Tacopina, the former president “wishes to appear” for the trial, but he may stay away, in order to, as stated by the Times, “spare New Yorkers the traffic jams, blocked streets and high security that would inevitably accompany him.”
“As part of that plan,” the attorney wrote,“courthouse floors would need to be locked down, elevators shut down, courthouse personnel confined to their offices, and members of the public restricted from the area.”
This is what happened when Trump appeared in court for his arraignment earlier this month, including the need to coordinate with the Secret Service. Should the Manhattan indictment lead to a criminal trial, those precautions would also need to be taken.
Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta A. Kaplan, pushed back.
“The notion that Mr. Trump would not appear as some sort of favor to the City of New York — and that the jury should be instructed as much — taxes the credulity of the credulous,” she wrote to the judge. “The jury may draw whatever inferences it chooses — and Mr. Trump has no right to a judicial endorsement of his (flimsy) excuse.”
Kaplan also noted that Trump has recently made numerous appearances at crowded public events, including a UFC fight, a National Rifle Association conference, and an appearance in New York for a deposition for a third case, the attorney general office’s civil suit against him. Trump has even set a campaign event for New Hampshire, at the same time the trial is scheduled to be taking place.
The judge in the case has not yet ruled on the matter of Trump’s appearance.
How the trial will affect Trump’s political chances, especially if he’s found liable in a civil case alleging that he raped a woman, remains to be seen. A larger question is the implications of the many different legal entanglements facing the former president, and whether it will hurt him once he’s going back and forth from the campaign trail to court appearances in multiple states.
In addition to the Carroll and attorney general suits, Trump has been indicted by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. He’s also facing potential charges in Georgia, in connection with his attempts to overturn the election results in that state, and is facing a special counsel investigation, into both his handling of classified documents and in seeking to overturn the election.
In the Manhattan District Attorney case, Congressional Republicans had sought to conduct an interview by Mark Pomerantz, an attorney who had worked in Alvin Bragg’s office but resigned in 2022, after the office chose not to move forward with an earlier version of the case. Pomerantz later wrote a book about that experience. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit this week granted a temporary stay, meaning that the Committee will not get to interview Pomerantz, at least not yet.
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Expertise and Experience: Stephen Silver is a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive. He is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.
