Former president and 2024 GOP frontrunner Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit alleging defamation by George Stephanopoulos and the pundit’s network, ABC. The claims stem from a March 10 interview with Representative Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) in which Stephanopoulos repeatedly badgered the congresswoman about her endorsement of Trump, despite the fact that, as Stephanopoulos claimed, “two separate juries have found him liable for rape and for defaming the victim of that rape.”
For the record, a New York jury found that Trump did not rape Jean Carroll, although it did award the Carroll $83.3 million for damages to her reputation. Trump has appealed that ruling.
On the March 10 edition of ABC’s This Week With George Stephanopoulos, the host questioned Mace about her endorsement of Trump.
“Judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape and for defaming the victim of that rape. How do you square your endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw?” Stepahnopoulos asked.
Mace pointed out that Trump was not found guilty in a criminal court of law.
“He defended himself over that and denies that it ever happened, but he was not found guilty in a criminal court of law.”
And he wasn’t found guilty (or liable for) rape in any court.
Mace accused Stephnopoulos of rape-shaming.
“Well, I will tell you, I was raped at the age of 16 and any rape victim will tell you — I’ve lived for 30 years with an incredible amount of shame over being raped,” Mace told the smug host. “I didn’t come forward because of that judgment and shame that I felt. And it’s a shame that you will never feel, George, and I’m not gonna sit here on your show and be asked a question meant to shame me about another potential rape victim. I’m not gonna do that.”
When Stephanopoulos repeated the smear, Mace called his actions “disgusting.”
“I live with shame,” Mace countered. “You’re asking me a question about my political choices trying to shame me as a rape victim and I find it disgusting.”
In the complaint, Trump attorney Alejandro Brito suggested that Stephanopoulos made the false rape claim “with actual malice or with a reckless disregard for the truth.”
“Indeed, the jury expressly found that Plaintiff did not commit rape and, as demonstrated below, Defendant George Stephanopoulos was aware of the jury’s finding in this regard yet still falsely stated otherwise,” Brito added.
Later in the lawsuit, Brito claimed, “it was clear Stephanopoulos maliciously intended to convince his viewers of a falsity, i.e. that Plaintiff had been found liable of rape.”
ABC was named as a defendant because the network “authorized, approved, or consented” to Stephanopoulos’ “false and defamatory statements” about Trump.
The complaint provided 12 specific quotes from the March 10 broadcast where Stephanopoulos claims that Trump was found liable for rape. Again, Trump was found to be liable for sexual abuse — which the former president denies — but never was he found liable for rape.
Even ABC seemed to realize that it crossed a line when Trump’s legal counsel demanded an apology and a retraction of the story. While no apology or retraction occurred, ABC did change the headline of a related story to “Nancy Mace defends her support for Trump after he was found liable for sexual assault.”
Neither ABC nor Stephanopoulos has yet commented on the lawsuit.
