(TheConservativeTimes.org) – Former President Donald Trump skipped the start of the defamation trial being held in New York Tuesday, April 25.
Jean Carroll, a former columnist for Elle, is suing Trump, claiming that he defamed her character when he insulted her appearance and denied the sexual assault allegations she made against him. Carroll alleges that Trump assaulted her in a NYC Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s.
As Carroll approached the courthouse Tuesday, the crowd chanted, “We Believe E. Jean Carroll.” Jury selection in the Carroll defamation case began Tuesday, April 25, despite Trump’s legal team attempting to postpone it when he hadn’t yet decided if he would attend the trial. The federal judge, Lewis Kaplan, denied the request to delay.
Trump has consistently rebuked the inflammatory allegations made by Carroll since they first came to light and has denied any alleged defamation.
Despite the fact that neither party is required to attend the trial for it to proceed, many experts see the benefits for Trump if he decides to appear at trial and becomes more familiar with the jury. They argue that Trump’s absence may signal that he doesn’t care about the proceedings, adding that his absence is “notable.”
The counter-argument proposed is that Trump’s presence may draw the focus of Carroll’s attorney and make him the center of attention during arguments. Regardless, the sentiment from Trump’s campaign, per a spokesperson to Newsweek, is that the trial in its entirety is a way for “deranged democrats” to interfere with the 2024 presidential election.
It should be noted that Trump attended a deposition related to the trial, and the results of this deposition can be used in the trial even if Trump is not there. It remains unclear if Trump will attend any of the further trial dates.
This isn’t the only lawsuit Trump is facing right now. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg brought 34 felony charges against the former president for falsifying business records to cover up alleged hush money payments made to an adult film star before his election in 2016. This case isn’t set to go to trial until 2024.
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