Here's Why Trump Is Suing ABC News and George Stephanopoulos for Defamation in Interview With Nancy Mace

In a fresh legal move, ex-President Donald Trump launched a new lawsuit against the media on Monday night. This time, his target is ABC News and George Stephanopoulos. Trump claims defamation, pointing to statements the anchor made during a fiery interview, as reported by Mediaite. The interview went viral and featured Rep. Nancy Mace discussing Trump's alleged sexual misconduct with E. Jean Carroll. During the conversation, Stephanopoulos, known for his tough questioning, pressed Mace, who is a survivor of sexual assault, about her ongoing support for Trump despite the allegations. The ruling on this matter came from Judge Lewis Kaplan. Kaplan stated, “Trump ‘raped’ her as many people commonly understand the word ‘rape.’"

He added, "Indeed, as the evidence at trial recounted below makes clear, the jury found that Mr. Trump in fact did exactly that.” Meanwhile, as reported by CNN, Stephanopoulos asked Mace, “You endorsed Donald Trump for president. Judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape and for defaming the victim of that rape. How do you square your endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony that we just saw?” Trump's legal challenge found its way to the federal courts, specifically in the Southern District of Florida.

It states that Stephanopoulos’s statements were “false, intentional, malicious, and designed to cause harm.” Trump is no stranger to launching lawsuits against the media. Adding to the legal issues, the lawsuit mistakenly refers to him as President Donald J. Trump. It read, "This is an action arising from Defendants’ transmission and publication of intentionally false and defamatory statements made to numerous third parties about Plaintiff President Donald J. Trump." It further added, "These statements were and remain false, and were made by Defendant Stephanopoulos with actual malice or with a reckless disregard for the truth."

Furthermore, it stated, "Indeed, the jury expressly found that Plaintiff did not commit rape and, as demonstrated below, Defendant George Stephanopoulos was aware of the jury’s finding in this regard yet still falsely stated otherwise." In a twist, the lawsuit disparages Carroll's accusations and dismisses them as untrue, despite the two previous court rulings. It then uses these same rulings as evidence to support its case against Stephanopoulos. It states, "The jury made a finding of sexual assault and, as a result, found for Carroll on the battery claim and the defamation claim."

Meanwhile, responding to Stephanopoulos' question, Mace said, "Not in a criminal court of law. This was a civil judgment over sexual abuse, not rape, by the way, and she made a mockery out of it. So, which one are you going to —" Stephanopoulos then said, "Can we pull up “The Washington Post” headline right there? In fact, it has been shown to be rape. The judge affirmed that it was, in fact, rape. Donald Trump was found to have committed rape. That’s just a fact." Furthermore, Mace said, "That is a civil judgment, not a criminal court. They’re two very different things and you know better." To this, Stephanopoulos replied, "Well, you’ve – I just showed you the facts right there."