Trump may have blown up his own defence in E Jean Carroll case

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

Donald Trump may have blown up his defence in his case against E Jean Carroll, who has accused him of defamation.

Ms Carroll accused Mr Trump of defamation after he lashed out at her while rejecting her allegation that he raped in a department store in New York more than 20 years ago.

Trump spokesperson Liz Harrington posted a statement by the former president on the social media platform last week, ahead of the deposition on 19 October.

“You have to fight for years, and spend a fortune, in order to get your reputation back from liars, cheaters, and hacks…It is a Hoax and a lie, just like all the other Hoaxes that have been played on me for the past seven years,” Mr Trump said in part.

“And, while I am not supposed to say it, I will. This woman is not my type! She has no idea waht day, what week, what month, what year, or what decade this so-called ‘event’ supposedly took place,” Mr Trump added.

The new statement may open Mr Trump up to a new defamation claim, according to legal experts, as he launched the verbal assault as a private citizen and not president of the United States.

The former top federal prosecutor in Detriot, Michigan, Barbara McQuade, told Vice News that Ms Carroll “should amend her complaint to include an additional count based on the new statement”.

“Because Trump is no longer president, this statement was most certainly not made in the scope of his federal employment,” she added.

“Trump just blew up his defense against E Jean Carroll’s defamation case by calling her claims a ‘hoax’ on Truth Social,” Brian Karem tweeted on Tuesday. “Trump’s lawyers argued he was protected against defamation as POTUS - but Carroll can now amend her complaint since Trump is a private citizen.”

It’s unclear how long the deposition will last or how much, if any, detail will come to light after it takes place.

In 2019, Ms Carroll made the accusation against Mr Trump that he raped her in a dressing room in the Bergdorf Goodman department store in the middle of the 1990s.

Mr Trump later said she was “totally lying” and that “she’s not my type”.

This led to Ms Carroll’s defamation lawsuit.

On Wednesday Mr Trump was forced to sit for a deposition in the case behind closed doors.