A federal judge in Manhattan, Judge Lewis Kaplan, criticized former US President Donald Trump’s recent social media posts on Truth Social, describing them as “entirely inappropriate” on Wednesday. The criticism came as witness testimony began in E. Jean Carroll’s civil rape case against the ex-president. Carroll, a former advice columnist, alleges that Trump raped her in a fitting room at Bergdorf Goodman in the spring of 1996.
Trump, who has not appeared in court for the first two days of the trial, took to Truth Social an hour before the second day of the trial began, saying that Carroll’s case was “a made-up SCAM” and accusing her lawyers of being “political operatives.” He also called for the dress Carroll wore on the day of the alleged rape to be brought into the trial, something that Carroll had requested earlier in the case to compare the garment against Trump’s DNA.
Judge Kaplan grilled Trump’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, about the post before the jury was brought in. The judge warned that the message appeared to be meant for the panel and criticized Tacopina’s attempts to shift the focus to a leak to the press from Carroll’s side. Tacopina eventually agreed to speak with Trump and “ask him to refrain from any further posts regarding this case.” However, the judge cautioned Tacopina that Trump could be creating even more legal troubles for himself.
Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s lawyer, also raised the issue of Trump’s posts, stating that “the defendant in this case went on Truth Social and made a lengthy statement which is on its face not truthful.” Carroll’s attorneys called their first witness on Wednesday, and Carroll herself took the stand to describe the alleged attack.
During opening arguments on Tuesday, one of Carroll’s lawyers, Shawn Crowley, told jurors that Trump “slammed” against Carroll inside a fitting room before allegedly raping her. Carroll, who is now 79 years old, sued Trump for the alleged attack and for allegedly defaming her by denying her claims and saying he didn’t even know her when she came forward with the accusations in 2019.
In a second Truth Social post on Wednesday morning, Trump wrote: “They got caught lying! The Miss Bergdorf Goodman case is financed by a big political donor that they tried to hide. Does anybody believe that I would take a then almost 60 year old woman that I didn’t know, from the front door of a very crowded department store, (with me being very well known, to put it mildly!), into a tiny dressing room, and …. her. She didn’t scream? There are no witnesses? Nobody saw this? She never made a police complaint? If I was seen there with a woman-BIG PRESS. SCAM!”
Carroll was around 50 years old at the time of the alleged attack, and her attorneys are seeking to prove that Trump raped her. The trial is expected to continue for several more weeks, and it remains to be seen how the judge will view Trump’s social media activity in the context of the case.
