Trump Sues Stephanopoulos For Smearing Him As A Rapist
FederalistMar 19
Trump Suing ABC News for Defamation
The Facts
Former Pres. Donald Trump on Monday filed a defamation suit against ABC News and host George Stephanopoulos over comments the anchor made about the ruling against Trump in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case.
The suit focuses on Stephanopoulos, during an interview with US Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), saying Trump was found guilty of "rape." The jury in Carroll's civil trial ruled Trump "sexually abused" her but found she did not prove rape.
The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
Kudos to Trump for fighting back against the slanderous media. Stephanopoulos and ABC News lied about Trump in order to score cheap political points while thinking they were above the law. It's bad enough that Carroll and a corrupt system are attempting to drain Trump of his resources — Stephanopoulos shouldn't be allowed to lie to his viewers about the judgment against the former president without paying a price.
Anti-Trump narrative
Trump's desperate attempt to obtain quick cash is going nowhere. Beyond the fact that he has a high bar to clear in order to prove defamation of a public figure, what Stephanopoulos said was close to the truth. The jury found Carroll didn't prove rape under New York's narrow standard, but what Trump was found liable of doing would be considered rape in other jurisdictions.
Nerd narrative
There's a 65% chance that Trump will be found guilty of any crime in the Manhattan case before Election Day 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.