Former US president Donald Trump gave evidence on Wednesday in a defamation case pitting him against a prominent former columnist who says he raped her in the 1990s.
“We’re pleased that on behalf of our client, E Jean Carroll, we were able to take Donald Trump’s deposition today,” the law firm Kaplan Hecker and Fink said in a statement. “We are not able to comment further.”
Ms Carroll alleges that Mr Trump sexually assaulted her in a New York department store about 30 years ago.
Mr Trump had no choice but to go ahead with the deposition after a New York judge last week rejected the former president’s latest effort to put the questioning on hold.
It was not immediately clear how long Mr Trump was questioned by Ms Carroll’s lawyers or whether he asserted his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. It was also unknown if he submitted the sworn deposition from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
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Supporters of former US president Donald Trump gather outside his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, after he said FBI agents raided it. Reuters -
A supporter of Mr Trump holds a flag and an old newspaper outside the former president's Mar-a-Lago home. Reuters -
The FBI searched the estate as part of an investigation into whether the former US leader took classified records from the White House to his Florida residence. The Palm Beach Post / AP -
Despite the January 6 hearings and an FBI raid, some still believe that Mr Trump won the 2020 election. AFP -
Supporters gathered outside Mar-a-Lago in Florida as it was was being searched by FBI agents in what Mr Trump called an act of 'prosecutorial misconduct'. AFP -
Trump supporters in Palm Beach, Florida outside Mar-a-Lago on Monday night. Reuters -
It is claimed that the former US president took documents from the White House and disposed of them at Mar-a-Lago. AFP -
Mr Trump was in New York when the search took place. Reuters -
Mr Trump alleges that no other president has been subjected to such treatment. AFP -
A member of the far-right Proud Boys group outside Mar-a-Lago. Reuters -
Mr Trump compared the FBI raid to Watergate. AFP
Ms Carroll also was to have been questioned by Ms Trump’s lawyers last Friday. Neither her legal representatives nor Mr Trump’s have shared how that deposition went.
Ms Carroll's lawyer Roberta Kaplan is a co-founder of the Time's Up movement that provides legal aid to victims of sexual assault.
A former columnist for Elle magazine, Ms Carroll sued Mr Trump for defamation in a New York civil court in November 2019.
In an excerpt of her book published by New York Magazine that year, Ms Carroll said Mr Trump raped her in the changing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store on Fifth Avenue.
Mr Trump denied the accusation, saying Ms Carroll was “not my type” and that she was “totally lying”, which prompted the defamation suit.
The case has been delayed by procedural battles, including whether Mr Trump should be represented by the US government, since he was president at the time he made the statements.
Several media outlets on Tuesday reported that Mr Trump's lawyers have always claimed their client was protected by his executive immunity, particularly for allegedly defamatory statements he made during his time in office.
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Former US president Donald Trump arrives for the pro-am at the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster, New Jersey, on July 28, 2022. AP -
Yasir Al Rumayyan, left, governor of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which is financing the LIV Golf series, stands alongside Mr Trump and his son, Eric. AP -
Mr Trump partied with the stars of LIV Golf before the latest tournament, which will be played at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey this week. AP -
Mr Trump on the first hole. AFP -
Mr Trump talks to golf fans. AP -
Mr Trump during the pro-am before the LIV Golf Invitational. AFP -
Mr Trump reacts after his shot from the second tee. AFP -
Between League events and International Series tournaments, LIV Golf will stage 25 tournaments worldwide in 2023. AFP -
Mr Trump tosses a ball after playing the second hole. AP -
A chip on to the green. AP -
From left to right, golfers Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, LIV Golf chief executive Greg Norman and Mr Trump. AP -
It was hot and humid on Thursday in Bedminister, with temperatures passing 28°C. AP -
Mr Trump, 76, waves to fans. AP -
LIV Golf has announced plans for a 14-event league schedule in 2023, while also introducing promotion and relegation through its International Series along with an end-of-season qualifying tournament. AP -
At the first tee. AFP / Getty -
Dustin Johnson takes a putt. AP -
Getting out of a sand trap. AP -
Mr Trump reacts to his tee shot on the fourth hole. AP -
Mr Trump putts on the first hole. AFP / Getty -
On the second tee. AFP / Getty -
Mr Trump plays a round of golf after the opening of the Trump International Golf Links Course on July 10, 2012, in Balmedie, Scotland. Getty Images
Last week, Mr Trump made new comments about the case on his right-wing Truth Social platform, mocking Ms Carroll's rape allegations.
Legal experts cited in a Vice News report said Ms Carroll could argue that Mr Trump had defamed her again — this time as a private citizen.
The judge in the case said last week that Ms Carroll could claim damages from Mr Trump for the alleged rape starting from November 24, after a New York state law comes into effect that allows survivors of sexual assault to file a civil suit regardless of the statute of limitations.
News agencies contributed to this report
