Trump Officially Sex Offender and Santos Arrested
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Jury finds Donald Trump liable in civil sex abuse case of E. Jean Carroll (USA Today)
SUMMARY: A federal jury found Donald Trump liable Tuesday in a civil case for sexual abuse and defamation of E. Jean Carroll in 1996 and said he should pay her $5 million in total damages, a verdict that could further complicate the former president's election bid in 2024.
The jury, which deliberated fewer than three hours, opted not to find Trump liable for rape but rather sexual abuse that injured Carroll.
Trump told Fox News Digital he will appeal the verdict, and said on his Truth Social website that he still has "no idea" who Carroll is. "This verdict is a disgrace," the former president said in an all-caps post.
…The jury was also asked to determine if Trump's conduct was "willfully or wantonly negligent, reckless, or done with a conscious disregard of the rights of Ms. Carroll." It said yes.
Jurors also found that Trump's rhetorical attacks on Carroll in social media posts were "defamatory," "false," and made "with actual malice."
MY TAKE: Anyone following the trial—or Trump’s career—is not surprised by the verdict. Sadly, nothing about the case nor the aftermath is surprising. But there are some points worth taking a closer look at to see how this trial and our reactions illuminate who we are as a culture.
First, there is a rush by GOP politicians to defend Trump. They proclaim he’s actually victorious because he wasn’t found guilt of rape, but of sexual assault and defamation. So, he did sexually assault a woman and then he maliciously lied about it in order to destroy her reputation. How is that a victory? Referring to George Santos, Kevin McCarthy told the CNN reporters that anyone found guilty of a crime should resign. Although Trump’s case was civil, not criminal, they certainly determined he committed a crime. Trump’s most telling moment in his deposition was when he was asked whether he stands by his comments that celebrities can grab women by the pussy without their consent. Yes, he said it was true, “Unfortunately—or fortunately.” Fortunately!? A man without morals—or remorse over not having any.
How can anyone support a man you wouldn’t want your daughter to be alone in a room with? So much evidence, not just his own confessions of abuse, but the testimonies of others (“26 Women Have Accused Trump of Sexual Misconduct”).
But don’t worry, his sycophants’ defense is the same as if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around does it make sound? In this case: If a sexual crime is committed against a woman is it really a crime?
Second, Heather Cox Richardson pointed out, “While his base supporters will not care about this verdict, lots of women will, and it raises the issue of the many other women who have accused him of assault.” For years, everyone has agreed that the Trump base is basically an immoveable object impervious to facts, logic, or even their own self-interest. They have found a daddy and, even if he’s an abusive daddy, they have someone to follow. Trump described their desperate neediness best in 2016: “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?”
If they’re okay with murder, why not sexual abuse. E. Jean Carroll was asked by Trump’s attorney why she didn’t go public with her accusations when Trump first ran for president. She replied, “I noticed that the more women who came forward to accuse him, the better he did in the polls.” Yes, the more crimes he commits, the more popular he is among certain people. Those people showed up at his CNN town hall to applaud him and snicker when he dismissed Carroll despite the jury’s findings and when he called CNN moderator Kaitlan Collins a “nasty person” when he was being evasive in answering her questions.
These are the people many Republican politicians are courting like panicky teenagers begging for a last-minute prom date. This base believes in free speech, except for opinions they don’t agree with, so they ban books. This base believes in the rule of law, unless the verdict goes against them, in which case it’s a conspiracy. They believe in patriotism so much they violently attack the Capitol Building. They believe in the sanctity of life enough to restrict women’s rights, but not enough to embrace gun control laws that might prevent the epidemic of mass shootings. In other words, they are a mindless mob, easily manipulated to vote however Republicans want them to by feeding them meaty chunks of words like socialism, marxism, radical liberals, traditional values, protect the children, etc. They gobble it down then lick the greasy hands that fed them.