President Donald Trump released a statement Friday denying that he sexually assaulted E. Jean Carroll, who accused the president of attacking her in the 1990s.
Carroll claimed in a New York Magazine column published Friday that Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in Manhattan, New York. The accusation is an excerpt from Carroll’s upcoming book, “What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal,” in which the columnist states that Trump urged her to try on lingerie and then pushed her against a wall before penetrating her. (RELATED: Columnist E. Jean Carroll Says Trump Raped Her In The 1990s)
The White House denied the claim earlier this afternoon, but Trump released his own, more forceful, statement raising questions about Carroll’s claim.
“Regarding the ‘story’ by E. Jean Carroll, claiming she once encountered me at Bergdorf Goodman 23 years ago. I’ve never met this person in my life. She is trying to sell a new book — that should indicate her motivation. It should be sold in the fiction section,” the president wrote.
Trump compared Carroll’s accusation to that of Julie Swetnick, the woman who, with the help of indicted celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti, accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of being involved in gang rapes.
“Shame on those who make up false stories of assault to try to get publicity for themselves, or sell a book, or carry out a political agenda—like Julie Swetnick who falsely accused Justice Brett Kavanaugh,” Trump asserted. “It’s just as bad for people to believe it, particularly when there is zero evidence. Worse still for a dying publication to try to prop itself up by peddling fake news—it’s an epidemic.”
The president’s statement continued:
“Ms. Carroll & New York Magazine: No pictures? No surveillance? No video? No reports? No sales attendants around?? I would like to thank Bergdorf Goodman for confirming they have no video footage of any such incident, because it never happened.
False accusations diminish the severity of real assault. All should condemn false accusations and any actual assault in the strongest possible terms.
If anyone has information that the Democratic Party is working with Ms. Carroll or New York Magazine, please notify us as soon as possible. The world should know what’s really going on. It is a disgrace and people should pay dearly for such false accusations.”
Carroll claims she told several friends about the incident shortly after it happened.
