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Judge clarifies Trump was found to have raped E. Jean Carroll

writersApr 27, 2026261,241

A New York judge ruled the jury’s civil finding that Donald Trump sexually abused E. Jean Carroll in 1996 can be understood as rape in the ordinary sense. The jury previously found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded Carroll $5 million in damages. The judge said the panel did not use the word "rape" only because New York state law’s narrow definitions and the civil verdict form prevented that label, not because the conduct was less severe. Because this was a civil case, the decision produces financial penalties rather than criminal punishment but places a formal legal finding on the public record that contradicts Trump’s denials.

Mehdi Hasan
@mehdirhasan.bsky.social

Trump says ‘I’m not a rapist, I didn’t rape anybody’ and Norah O’Donnell doesn’t mention the E Jean Carroll case or the jury finding him liable for sexual abuse or the judge saying it could be said Trump did ‘rape’ her in the ‘commonly’ understood sense: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

9753h ago
jack27

these “journalists” know exactly what they’re doing

Bumbles Bounce13

Trump also said he was totally exonerated by the Epstein files and it was only Democrats who were guilty of having a relationship with Epstein, and O'Donnell just let that pass. O'Donnell is no Mike Wallace. She's not even a Barbara Walters. If anything, she's closest to Ron Burgundy.

fumagas.bsky.social11

If these so-called journalists don't have the guts to confront him, why are they wasting their damn time? Cowards!

John Y9

yup, he was not exonerated...quite the opposite.

Jocelyn Schitt8

He has raped women other than Jean Carroll, including children While I appreciate the impulse to only affirm what a court of law has ruled… everybody knows he is a *serial* rapist and pedophile

Chris⚖️Justice7

🧵 Trump sex crimes bsky.app/profile/chri...

The Bishop 🇬🇧🇪🇺🇺🇦🇨🇦🏴‍☠️💙6

American journalism and the media are just as responsible for the Trump mess the world’s now dealing with as the GOP — and large parts of a complacent, self-interested, misogynistic electorate.

David Dickinson5

Nor did she say that the DOJ has been illegally withholding the Epstein files which, if he claims exonerate him from being a pedophile, he could use to prove his innocence.

lisaandotis.bsky.social4

What part of rapist pedophile does he not get?

Joy3

Notice: People will rush to defend the "honor" of a probable child mol*ster and rap*st... yet not rush to help children living in tents, children dying of cancer, children blown to pieces or shot in schools... & on and on. And call themselves "Christian?!" Their judgment isn't gonna be pretty.

Weshlovrcm3

Well that's the problem. No one challenges Dishonest Donald to his face WHEN HE SAYS THIS STUFF.

Orbyious (Oh it's him)2

An yet 33% of the voting population still voted for him knowing he had been in a court called a rapist Just goes to show how low the bar is for the voting population of the USA to elect some one I'm wondering when they will wake up to the fact the rest of the world is done with the USA

N Von Ho2

“I am not a crook!”

Dangerouslytalented2

he's flailing. there's no talking points beyond "need new ballroom", which all the rightwing grifters are parroting, as if centrally controlled by an app that does or does not exist. His closest lackeys seemed thrilled after the attempt. Everybody's saying it's staged, but the whole lot is bungled

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