DOJ Blocked From Intervening In Trump Rape Lawsuit

The New York Times reports:

A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that President Trump can be personally sued for defamation in connection with his denial while in office of a decades-old rape allegation.

The judge, Lewis A. Kaplan of Federal District Court in Manhattan, rejected the Justice Department’s attempt to step into the case and defend the president, and his ruling means that, for the moment, a lawsuit by the writer E. Jean Carroll can move forward against Mr. Trump, in his capacity as a private citizen.

Ms. Carroll has accused Mr. Trump of raping her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. Her lawsuit claims he harmed her reputation when he denied the attack and branded her a liar.

Now: Federal judge rejects DOJ’s attempt to intervene in E. Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit against President Trump.

Opinion: https://t.co/mVQb4nBvyY pic.twitter.com/ZcULjqoLsm

— Jacqueline Thomsen (@jacq_thomsen) October 27, 2020