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Updated June 8th, 2021 at 15:24 IST

Biden administration's DOJ to continue defending Donald Trump on rape defamation case

Donald Trump can continue to lean on the executive power he once had to reportedly wave away a lawsuit that accuses him of raping E. Jean Carroll 25 years ago. 

Reported by: Aanchal Nigam
Biden administration
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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Even though the Justice Department is now under the control of US President Joe Biden, his predecessor Donald Trump can continue to lean on the executive power he once had to reportedly wave away a lawsuit that accuses former US President of raping advice columnist E. Jean Carroll 25 years ago. As per reports, on Monday, the Department of Justice continued the legal effort it started under Trump’s presidency, arguing that he was just another US government employee when he called Carroll a liar. Reportedly, if Trump is still considered a federal employee, it would grant him some level of immunity for his alleged actions.

In its brief on June 7, the US Justice Department stressed, “The President is an ‘employee of the government.’” The current United States law keeps providing Trump with immunity and government-funded legal help because “nothing in the text, purpose, or history of the statutes suggests that they exempt from their coverage the President of the United States.” As per the report, the decision to continue the same approach is significant because it threatens the halt of the case.

‘It’s not legally wrong’

Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan in a statement on June 7 noted that the position of the US Justice Department is “not legally wrong”. However, she added that “it is morally wrong” because it is providing federal officials with a “free licence” to cover up sexual misconduct in private by publicly brutalising any woman who chooses to come forward. Kaplan also said that Trump’s crude denials were “not the official act of an American president” and argued that he should not be legally protected.

Kaplan said, “It’s horrific that Donald Trump raped E. Jean Carroll⁩ in a NYC department store years ago. But it’s truly shocking that the current DOJ would allow Donald Trump to get away with lying about it, 
thereby depriving our client of her day in court.”

 “The DOJ’s position is not only legally wrong, it is morally wrong since it would give federal officials free license to cover up private sexual misconduct by publicly brutalizing any woman who has the courage to come forward,” she added.

IMAGE: AP

 

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Published June 8th, 2021 at 15:24 IST

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