DONALD TRUMP, ABC NEWS, AND THE TOXIC LEGACY OF THE E. JEAN CARROLL CASE. The story stunned much of Washington late Saturday afternoon. ABC News had agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by President-elect Donald Trump last March, accusing ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos of defaming Trump during a discussion of the E. Jean Carroll case. ABC and Stephanopoulos agreed to pay $15 million toward a future Trump Presidential Library, plus $1 million toward Trump’s attorneys’ fees.

Trump has filed or threatened to file a lot of lawsuits over alleged defamatory coverage. But he hasn’t won one, hasn’t even come close to winning one. Now he has.

The development particularly shocked Trump’s most determined adversaries. He’s not supposed to win a case like this! The media have a right to say virtually anything they want about the former president and current president-elect and not have to worry about Trump having some legal recourse to fight back. That, at least, was their implicit assumption.

At issue was the March 10, 2024, edition of ABC’s This Week in which Stephanopoulos interviewed Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), a strong Trump supporter. Mace had recently revealed she had been raped at age 16. She wanted fellow victims to be able to discuss such things without shame. At that, Stephanopoulos pounced. “You endorsed Donald Trump for president,” he told Mace. “Judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape and for defaming a victim of that rape. How do you square your endorsement of Donald Trump with [that]?”

When Mace pushed back, Stephanopoulos repeated the charge over and over. “Donald Trump has been found liable for rape by a jury,” he said. A few moments later, he said, “I’m asking you a question about why you endorsed someone who’s been found liable for rape.” Later, he said, “You’re supporting someone who’s been found liable for rape.” And still later, he said, “Why are you supporting someone who’s been found liable for rape?” And then: “You don’t find it offensive that Donald Trump has been found liable for rape?” And then: “What you’re doing is defending a man who’s been found liable for rape. I don’t understand how you can do that.” And then: “Donald Trump was found to have committed rape. That’s just a fact.” And then: “You’ve made it very clear you’re comfortable with Donald Trump being found liable for rape.”

To call it overkill would be an understatement. The only problem with Stephanopoulos’s harangue was this: His questions were based on a falsehood. Trump had not been found liable for rape. When the jury in the E. Jean Carroll civil case reached a verdict, it filled out a verdict form. The first question was, “Did Ms. Carroll prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Mr. Trump raped Ms. Carroll?” The jury answered, “No.” 

Instead, the jury found that Trump “sexually abused” Carroll — a lower-level offense. You’d think that would be enough for Resistance types. They can accurately say Trump was found liable for sexually abusing Carroll. But no —........

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