Donald Trump (Photo by Saul Loeb for SAFP)
Former President Donald Trump filed a new lawsuit against E. Jean Carroll this week, claiming that the writer defamed him by saying that he raped her after a civil jury "only" found him liable for sexual abuse, rather than rape, in her previous defamation suit against him.
However, this case will be a nonstarter, argued former federal prosecutor Shan Wu on CNN Wednesday.
"Do you think Trump has a case here?" asked anchor Bianna Golodryga.
"No. That is a frivolous lawsuit," said Wu, adding, "It is surprising his lawyers would advise him or let him do that. I mean, it is a very silly distinction. It is the equivalent of saying, the jury found that I was dumb. She's calling me stupid. I'm not stupid. They said I was dumb. That is a meaningless distinction."
Moreover, Wu continued, this lawsuit could backfire on Trump by opening him up to more legal challenges against himself — particularly as Carroll herself weighs a second defamation suit of her own against the former president, after he used his recent CNN town hall in New Hampshire to repeat several of the claims against her that the jury found false.
"It is simply opening him up to relitigate the entire sexual abuse issue," said Wu. "And frankly, with the statements he's probably going to make to support this, opens him up to more defamation claims too."
Shan Wu calls Trump's new lawsuit against E. Jean Carroll "frivolous" www.youtube.com
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