A journalist and TV presenter has brought a civil trial against former US President Donald Trump for allegedly raping her about 30 years ago.
The journalist, E. Jane Carroll, 79, testified before a jury in New York, yesterday, Wednesday, that Trump had raped her in a famous store in Manhattan, New York.
If Carroll wins the case, it will be the first time the real estate mogul, who has been charged with more than twenty such charges, has been convicted.
Carroll testified in a civil suit she filed for unspecified damages after she alleged Trump sexually assaulted her in a dressing room in the fall of 1995 or spring of 1996 in a changing room at Bergdorf Goodman, according to the British newspaper The Times .
When her lawyer asked her why she filed the lawsuit, she replied: “I am here because Donald Trump raped me.. And when I wrote about it earlier, he said that it did not happen.. He lied and destroyed my reputation, and I am here in an attempt to restore my life.”
Carroll stated that prior to the rape, she had an inadvertent encounter with Trump as she was leaving the high-end clothing store called “R. Bergdorf Goodman.”
She said that he asked for her help under the pretext that he wanted to buy a gift for “some girl”, after he said: “You are the lady who gives advice, I need your advice on buying a gift.”
She explained that she suggested that he buy a handbag and then a hat, adding: “He picked up a fur hat and was petting it like a cat or a dog before telling me to go to the underwear department.”
Her lawyer asked her if she was laughing and happy at that point, to reply: “I think I might have been.. It started out fun and funny.. say it turns into something dark.”
And she continued, saying that Trump picked up a piece of blue underwear before asking her to try it on, “and when I refused, he told me that it was his girl’s favorite color.”
After that, Trump suggested entering the dressing room with her, pointing out that she did not take the matter seriously at first.
And she added, “As soon as we were inside, he pushed me hard, hitting my head against the wall, and pushed me…and he bent over me and put his mouth on mine, pulled down my underwear, and proceeded to rape me.”
And she added, “I still feel it,” adding: “I quickly ran away from the store, and when I told one of my fellow journalists that I wanted to complain, he advised me not to do so, saying that Trump has 200 lawyers and that they are able to destroy me.”
Trump had denied these accusations on social media, while his lawyer, Joe Tacopina, accused journalist Carroll of filing the case for money and political reasons.
