Trump says he will probably attend New York civil rape trial
World
Trump says he will probably attend New York civil rape trial
DOONBEG, Ireland (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he will "probably" attend an ongoing civil trial in New York in which he is accused of rape and defamation, repeating his denials of the allegations during a visit to his Irish golf resort.
Writer E. Jean Carroll, 79, has testified that Trump, 76, raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in the mid-1990s, and then tarred her reputation and career by lying about it online.
Trump, the current front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination for president, has so far not attended the trial, which began last week in federal court in Manhattan. His legal team told U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan that Trump will not be testifying in person and they will not be calling any witnesses.
"I will probably attend and I think it's a disgrace that it's allowed to happen, false accusations against a rich guy, or in my case against a famous, rich and political person," Trump told reporters while he played golf at the Doonbeg resort in southwest Ireland.
"I have to go back for a woman that made a false accusation about me, and I have a judge who is extremely hostile," Trump added.
The trial is expected to extend into next week.
Trump's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
