Justice Department Wants to Get Trump Out of E. Jean Carroll Payment
Rolling Stone • • nation
Key Points:
- The Justice Department under Donald Trump is seeking Supreme Court approval to substitute the federal government for Trump in the $83.3 million defamation judgment awarded to E. Jean Carroll, which would lead to dismissal since the government cannot be sued for defamation.
- The DOJ argues that Trump was acting as a government employee when he defamed Carroll, justifying its request to intervene in the case.
- Critics view the DOJ’s actions as serving Trump’s personal interests rather than the public, citing other examples such as charges against former FBI Director James Comey and Trump’s demand for taxpayer compensation related to investigations against him.
- Carroll accused Trump of sexual assault in the 1990s and was awarded multiple judgments after a civil trial found him liable for assault and defamation, including a $5 million award in 2023 and the $83.3 million judgment in 2024.
- Trump’s attempts to overturn these judgments have been unsuccessful, with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently rejecting his claim of presidential immunity and denying substitution of the United States for Trump after the trial and judgment.
