A jury in the rape trial for former President Trump found that he was not guilty of raping E. Jean Carroll but should be held responsible for sexual abuse and defamation. The verdict awards $5 million to Carroll in damages.
The verdict is, as Trump’s lawyer Joseph Tacopina put it, “perplexing” and “strange.” The jury marked “no” when asked to rule on whether or not “Mr. Trump raped Ms. Carroll.” When asked to rule on whether or not he “forcibly touched Ms. Carroll” they returned no verdict. When asked to rule on whether he “sexually abused Ms. Carroll” they ruled “yes.”
There will most likely be an appeal.
The former President will appear on a televised town hall hosted by CNN later today.
