Trump Attorney Attacks E. Jean Carroll On CNN When Asked About Trump Attacking Her at CNN Town Hall
Trump attorney Alina Habba attacked E. Jean Carroll when CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked her about ex-President Donald Trump’s attacks on Carroll during a CNN town hall being added to another ongoing rape and defamation case.
The hooting, cheering, and laughing crowd at the CNN Town Hall that Collins moderated two weeks ago whooped it up as Trump spent almost four solid minutes mocking and attacking Carroll — whom a jury says Trump sexually abused. That prompted Carroll to add those remarks to another ongoing suit in an amended complaint and request greater damages.
On Wednesday morning’s edition of CNN This Morning, Collins interviewed Habba on a number of topics, including the town hall attacks. Habba responded by defending Trump’s right to attack Carroll, then attacking Carroll herself by contrasting her with “real victims” of sexual assault and accusing her of lying in a lengthy response:
KAITLAN COLLINS: This comes as Carroll and her lawsuit, which is separate from this. But I should note, following the CNN town hall, the comments that Trump made about her there is now amending that lawsuit to add more money to that. Is there not a concern within the legal team that what he says is what’s getting him in more trouble here, that he’s going and attacking her the day after he’s found guilty for, or that excuse me, that he’s found civilly liable for defaming her and sexually abusing her.
ALINA HABBA: So so let’s talk about that. I’m glad you brought it up. As a candidate, part of your job and part as a president, part of your job is to address people that bring claims, as Bill Clinton had to address. Right?
He didn’t do this. So we have the courts say and now we have a jury that said he did not rape her. Let’s not forget that. And he is then speaking to a person who is falsely accusing him of something that is heinous and nobody is more sympathetic than I am to sexual assault victims. Rape victims.
But I’m confused on how a jury could have gotten it so wrong. They say you don’t rape someone, but it’s sexual abuse and then you defame somebody for saying, I didn’t rape her when they said he didn’t and they found he didn’t.
So the fact that she’s going to amend it, to be honest with you, Kaitlan, and this is aside from my sympathy to real victims, tells me what her motives are and the fact that she’s trying to amend a complaint from 2018 because she wants to change the terms from rape to sexual assault now, you’re not allowed to retrofit cases. That’s not how this goes.
And I can’t agree with it. I’m going to fight it vehemently. And I think it’s wrong. And I think he has a right to say it’s wrong. I didn’t do it. And what she’s doing is wrong. And it’s a shame to real victims, honestly. It’s a shame, to real victims.
KAITLAN COLLINS: But it’s well, it’s civilly liable for sexual abuse. But the idea that he’s found that he defamed her and then he goes out the next day and continues to attack her, not just simply defending himself, he’s going after her, calling it a con job, a hoax, those were the comments he had made on lie. I mean, is there not advice in the legal team that talking about it more only hurts him more is clearly evident here?
ALINA HABBA: He’s a public person and he has a right to speak, especially when somebody says publicly and she did the same. And frankly, she went on TV and said he raped me.
Well, that’s to me the most offensive thing you could possibly say. I know Donald Trump very well. And you know, Donald Trump. He is a kind person. Whatever he projects, when he’s angry, he’s a candidate being attacked. He’s under siege at all times.
This is a man who only knows how to operate and has operated this country amazingly well, under siege at all times. And I think he’s outraged and he has a right to be and he has a First Amendment right to speak and say, somebody, this is a lie. I didn’t do it.
And if somebody is going to keep suing them, we’re just going to fight back as well.
KAITLAN COLLINS: Well, that’s his defense. But it was a jury of nine people that found him civilly liable of this. But I want to ask you about this new letter that…
ALINA HABBA: But before you go there, if that’s our litmus test. We have a New York jury, then you must also believe that O.J. Simpson wasn’t guilty. I mean, sometimes the juries get it wrong. And here they did get it right that he didn’t rape her, but somehow he defames her when he says I didn’t rape her. It doesn’t make sense (crosstalk) on appeal.
KAITLAN COLLINS: Well, I know you’re appealing it, but they did find him civilly liable. I mean, it’s a jury of nine people. I believe it was six women, three men that found this.
Watch above via CNN This Morning.
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