Trump to Call Anderson Cooper as a Witness in Defamation Lawsuit

Former President Donald Trump has expressed his willingness to testify as a witness in the upcoming trial against accusations that he raped journalist E. Jean Carroll many years ago.

However, not only has Trump expressed his desire to testify, but his lawyers have identified CNN host Anderson Cooper as a potential witness too.

The two sides have filed court documents naming those they plan to call to testify in the civil trial, set to occur in New York City in April.

E. Jean Carroll seeks to present a case featuring several women who have accused former President Donald Trump of sexual harassment, including a saleswoman who claims that Trump groped her on a plane during the 1970s, as well as a writer from People Magazine.

In contrast, Trump’s legal team aims to emphasize Carroll’s publication deals that arose when she initially made these accusations. Their chosen witnesses come from the publishing and fashion industries.

Trump’s strategy involves an old interview of Carroll with Anderson Cooper where she said, “I think most people think of rape as being sexy. They think of the fantasies.”

Carroll sued Trump for defamation after he accused her of lying to promote her book about the rape allegations. The New York Post reports that Carroll has also filed a sexual battery lawsuit against Trump, citing the New York Adult Survivors Act. The act was passed last year to enable victims of past abuse to file claims in cases that have exceeded the statute of limitations.

ABCNews reported the former president, has expressed his willingness to offer a DNA sample to compare against stains on the dress of a woman who accused him of rape.

During a sworn deposition in October, Trump denied the incident saying and slammed Carroll: “She said that I did something to her that never took place. There was no anything. I know nothing about this nut job. I think she’s sick, mentally sick.”

Carroll, who is 79 years old, has filed a lawsuit against Trump for both defamation and rape. She claimed that Trump had violently raped her after what was supposed to be a friendly encounter at a luxury Manhattan department store in late 1995 or early 1996.

Despite Carroll’s claims, Trump has maintained that the meeting never occurred, and his lawyer has made the same assertion in a recent court filing.

Trump has also agreed to provide a DNA sample to be compared against the stains on the dress Carroll wore on the night of the alleged assault.

However, Carroll and her lawyers have been accused of seeking a publicity advantage through this demand, according to Tacopina.

“Mr. Trump’s DNA is either on the dress or it is not,” his lawyer explained.

Carroll’s attorneys have refused to release around 12 pages of the DNA report they acquired, according to Tacopina, saying, “she knows his DNA is not on the dress because the alleged sexual assault never occurred.”

Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan wrote, “There is no DNA evidence in this case, and none will be introduced at trial.”