Democratic Women’s Caucus Leads Letter to Attorney General Barr Urging the Agency to Immediately Withdraw the Motion to Intervene in Carroll v. Trump
Washington, DC – Today, Co-Chairs of the Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) Congresswomen Jackie Speier (CA-14), Lois Frankel (FL-21) and Brenda L. Lawrence (MI-14), and Vice Chairs Congresswomen Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and Deb Haaland (NM-01), Congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster, and 48 additional Members of Congress sent a letter to Attorney General Barr urging him to restore a small measure of integrity to the Department of Justice by immediately withdrawing the motion to intervene in Carroll v. Trump, a case brought in state court against Trump in his personal capacity.
Journalist E. Jean Carroll revealed in 2019 that Donald Trump raped her in the dressing room of a department store in New York City in late 1995 or early 1996. Mr. Trump denied the allegations, calling Ms. Carroll a liar who was intent on selling her new book. He denied he ever met her—despite a photo showing the two together in 1987—and claimed he would not have raped her because “she’s not my type.” Following Mr. Trump’s remarks, Ms. Carroll sued him for defamation in state court in New York, alleging he damaged her reputation and career when he publicly denied her allegations.
The Members write, “It is difficult to imagine that it is within the scope of a president’s official duties to deny a claim that he committed sexual assault over two decades before he took office—let alone to lie about having met the victim and denigrate her physical appearance. As the government’s memorandum states, ‘[n]umerous courts have recognized that elected officials act within the scope of their office or employment when speaking with the press, including with respect to personal matters.’ However, almost all of the cases cited in the memorandum deal with instances in which an elected official made a comment about an incident that occurred while the person was in office”
“While you have claimed the Department’s actions in this matter are standard operating procedure, the only thing that appears routine is the Department of Justice once again stepping in to defend the President in his personal matters at an unknown cost to hardworking taxpayers. In coincidental timing, Mr. Trump also recently announced he was considering donating millions of dollars to his own re-election campaign, which is suffering in part due the millions of dollars his campaign and the Republican National Committee have already spent on legal fees. As millions of Americans struggle to put food on the table, pay rent, and shoulder medical bills due to the pandemic made worse by Mr. Trump’s negligence, they now also have to foot the legal bill for a private legal matter entirely unrelated to the official duties of the President.”
The Members continued, “Not only is the motion to intervene a further politicization of the Department of Justice, it sends a clear message to survivors of sexual violence that the federal government does not take their claims seriously. At least 25 women have credibly accused Mr. Trump of sexual misconduct, including Ms. Carroll, who described how he lunged at her, pushed her up against the wall, and forced himself on her. Like Ms. Carroll, Mr. Trump has accused these women of being liars. By attempting to intervene in Ms. Carroll’s case, the Department of Justice has mobilized the full weight of the federal government and given its tacit approval of Mr. Trump’s denials, an action which may further dissuade survivors of sexual violence from coming forward.”
A copy of the letter is available here.