A New York jury finds Trump guilty of sexual abuse and defamation against the writer Jean Carroll

The pending accounts of the former president donald trump with Justice they begin to see the light and complicate, after the last unprecedented sentence, the electoral race towards the presidency of the United States for his longed-for return to the White House in 2024.

The New York magnate was convicted of sexual abuse and defamation against the American journalist and columnist for Elle magazine, Jean Carrollthis Tuesday night Spanish time by a popular jury from Manhattan made up of six men and three women.

After less than three hours of deliberations in the Federal District Court of Manhattan, the jury reached a unanimous verdict siding with the writer in convicting Trump of sexual assault and defamation, but rejecting his charge of rape. Civil findings that, since they are not criminal offenses, the tycoon should not face jail time.

In addition, the jury also holds the former Republican president responsible for defaming the complainant for having published content through his own Truth Social social network, describing the case against him as “a hoax and a lie” and “a complete scam.”

The facts go back to the 90s, when Jean Carroll claims to have been raped by the New York tycoon in the changing room of a department store in the Big Apple, making her complaint public years later in a book that the American journalist wrote in 2019.

The sentence sets a precedent in the country within the so-called #MeToo movement, uncovered in 2017 shortly after Donald Trump’s inauguration of the United States presidency, directly targeting the elite by convicting a prominent powerful man of sexual abuse. political and business figure.

It is the first such accusation to be successfully tried before a jury, the first verdict in favor of a woman out of dozens of others who have accused Trump of inappropriate sexual conduct over the decades, although he has always denied the accusations.

With the historic sentence, the popular jury of the civil trial carried out in New York determined that Donald Trump sexually abused Jean Carroll, understood as “subjecting someone to sexual contact without their consent.” Therefore, by decision of the jury, the 79-year-old journalist and columnist received a compensation of 5 million dollars for damages.

The judge would have explained in detail to the nine members of the jury, before their deliberation, the exact meaning of all the different accusations, as well as the associated concepts –sexual assault, consent, forcible touching– to elucidate both the case of rape and the existence of intent to harm in the case of defamation.

Trump reacted to the sentence a few minutes after meeting, calling the jury’s verdict “disgraceful” and assuring that “he has absolutely no idea who in that woman.” During the two weeks that the trial in New York has lasted, Trump has not uttered a single word about it and has not appeared in his hometown either. Carroll, however, has been present at all the sessions.

Faced with great media expectation due to his reaction already in person, Trump plans to participate in a televised forum this Wednesday night on CNNin what will be his first appearance on the network described by himself as “the enemy of the people” since the 2016 presidential campaign.