Donald Trump
Credit: Reuters Photo
Former President Donald Trump filed a defamation lawsuit against ABC News on Monday, arguing that anchor George Stephanopoulos had harmed his reputation by saying multiple times on-air that Trump had been found liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll.
A jury in a Manhattan civil case last year found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll, but did not find the former president liable for rape. The judge, however, later clarified that because of New York's narrow legal definition of "rape," the jury's finding did not mean that Carroll "failed to prove that Trump 'raped' her as many people commonly understand the word 'rape.'"
Stephanopoulos, who was named as a co-defendant, said Trump was found liable for rape during a contentious interview March 10 with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C. During the interview, Stephanopoulos asked Mace, who has spoken publicly about being raped as a teenager, why she continued to support Trump in light of the outcome of the civil case.
Trump, who often galvanizes his supporters by attacking the press, has filed a string of unsuccessful defamation suits against major media organizations. Federal judges have dismissed his suits against CNN, The New York Times and The Washington Post.
ABC News had no comment Monday. Trump's suit was filed in federal court in the Southern District of Florida.