A new documentary reveals how an "avalanche of slime" followed E. Jean Carroll after she accused Trump of sexual abuse.
"When I accused Donald Trump of sexual assault, I had no idea what I was in for," Carroll says in the film, "Ask E Jean," according to reporting by the Guardian. "The avalanche of slime has been unbelievable."
Carroll accused Trump of sexually abusing her in a dressing room in the mid-1990s, but she kept the allegation private for decades before going public in 2019.
Trump tried to downplay Carroll's accusations by calling her a "whack job" and accusing her of lying. He even defended himself by saying she was "not my type," the Guardian noted.
"For Carroll, who had spent decades building a career on her credibility and wit, the relentless defamation was intolerable," the Guardian added.
Trump's attacks against Carroll's character on social media led to a jury awarding her $83.3 million for defamation, "but Trump's lawyers are seeking to overturn the rulings, and Carroll has not yet received a cent," according to the Guardian.
Filmmaker Ivy Meeropol explains in "Ask E Jean" that the fallout from accusing Trump made Carroll hesitant to take part in the documentary. Her agent told Meeropol's manager, "I'd rather eat my shoe" than do the documentary.
However, the documentary also reveals Carroll's private deposition for the first time, in which Trump's lawyer asks her why she decided to sue, according to the Guardian.
"If you were concerned about being dragged through the mud, why would you choose to sue Donald Trump?" Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba, asked Carroll, per the Guardian.
"Calm and composed, E Jean Carroll removes her glasses and replies firmly," the Guardian described, with Carroll responding, "Because he called me a liar. He called me a liar. And I couldn't let it stand."