Photo: Alamy
President Trump has brought a scorching lawsuit against ABC News and George Stephanopoulos, alleging defamation during an interview that the host facilitated with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., earlier this month.
During the interview, Stephanopoulos alleged that Trump had been found “liable for rape” in the E. Jean Carroll case, and asked Rep. Mace how she could “square” her endorsement of the 45th president in light of the allegations.
It was not the only time that the ABC host made the claim that Trump had been found “liable for rape,” and it was especially unsettling, given the fact that Rep. Mace herself is a survivor of rape, per Fox News.
It is important to note that in the $83 million case between former Elle writer E. Jean Carroll and Trump, he was not found liable for rape, but rather, defamation and sexual abuse. However, these claims are hotly contested by the president. He recently secured a $91.6 million bond to appeal the staggeringly expensive ruling.
President Trump has described Carroll’s allegations as “PURE FICTION” and has repeatedly denied that he committed any wrongdoing at all.
According to Fox, Trump’s lawyers noted in the lawsuit that Stephanopoulos’ repetitious statements were “demonstrably false.” They emphasized that a New York jury “expressly found” that the president did not rape Carroll.
Trump’s attorneys further argued, “Since making such false, malicious, and defamatory statements, many news and press outlets have continued to quote Stephanopoulos by wrongfully broadcasting that Plaintiff was found liable for rape.”
“As a woman, I find it offensive,” Rep. Mace told Stephanopoulos during their heated exchange, where she accused him of “shaming” her political position on endorsing Trump, especially considering her past as a “rape victim.”
She continued, “I’ve endorsed the man that I believe is best for our country – it’s not Joe Biden.”