Trump's Lewd 'Access Hollywood' Tape Excluded from Evidence in Jean Carroll Defamation Case, Lawyers Claim
Attorney Roberta Kaplan revealed they won't present Donald Trump's infamous "Access Hollywood Tape" in court ahead of his testimony in E. Jean Carroll's defamation suit. In a new development, the accuser's lawyer said the New York jury will not hear the ex-president's lewd remarks about women as evidence in the sexual abuse case.
Caroll, an American journalist and author, sued the GOP front-runner for alleged sexual misconduct in 2019. At the time, Trump denied the assault allegations after a New York magazine excerpt mentioned the details, referencing the writer's forthcoming book, What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal," per The Guardian.
However, the now-80-year-old couldn't sue Trump then due to the statute of limitations. But, in 2022, the New York state's Adult Survivors Act allowed adult victims of sexual abuse to file a lawsuit against their abusers for a one-year window. Carroll utilized the opportunity, accusing Trump of rape allegations and defaming her reputation.
Now, the twice-impeached ex-president is set to appear in court to testify in Carroll's case. However, attorney Kaplan revealed the Manhattan court will also not hear testimonies of two other women who previously accused Trump of sexual abuse nor play the controversial Access Hollywood Tape.
Natasha Stoynoff and Jessica Leeds testified in Carroll's defamation suit against Trump in May 2023. Apparently, Stoynoff alleged that during an interview session with the 77-year-old in 2005, he "forcibly kissed her against her will." Meanwhile, Leeds accused him of "abruptly gripping her against her will" while on the same flight in the 1970s.
As part of her defamation case, Trump owed Carroll $5 million, which was awarded to her already last spring. However, the jury is still considering if the GOP front-runner owes more based on the fact that Trump sexually abused her in the dressing room of a luxury Manhattan department store in 1996 but didn't rape her. This was followed by defaming her in October 2022.
Initially, the infamous tape and the two women were scheduled to be presented, Carroll's attorney Kaplan made last-minute changes and said he wouldn't be introducing this evidence to prove his point of Trump being an abuser because they wanted to keep the issues in the trial "focused."
Trump's 2005 Access Hollywood Tape remained one of his unforgettable public humiliations. Prior to becoming the United States president, the Republican front-runner acknowledged his lewd remarks about women, followed by a forced apology. However, after he entered the White House, he took a complete 180.
In his new story, he told a Republican senator to cross-examine the authenticity of the tape where he boasted about groping women's genitals and talked about their "beauty" in a vulgar sense. "We don't think that was my voice," Trump defended himself in 2017, per The New York Times.
The notorious tape was part of an interview with Access Hollywood's host, Billy Bush, where he candidly revealed grabbing women between their legs (for the lack of better words) because he's attracted to their beauty like a "magnet."
