Former US President Donald Trump is facing further legal trouble. Trump is scheduled to testify in a lawsuit related to rape allegations. A judge in New York on Wednesday rejected an attempt by Trump to postpone the testimony scheduled for next Wednesday. This would not place "an undue burden" on the 76-year-old, court documents said. The case involves a defamation lawsuit brought by author Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of raping her 23 years earlier in 2019.
Trump had rejected the allegations at the time - among other things with the words: "She's not my type". He stated - still as president at the time - that he had never met Carroll. She's just trying to sell a new book and has accused other men of similar things. Carroll then sued Trump for portraying her as a liar and thus defaming her.
Among other things, she wrote in a book excerpt published in the summer of 2019 that Trump raped her in a New York department store in the mid-1990s. Trump has been repeatedly accused of assaulting women. So far, however, none of these allegations have had any consequences for the Republican.
Trump is fighting on many fronts
Trump has been mired in legal battles for decades, both as a construction mogul and during his presidency. However, he is currently struggling on many fronts with legal problems or investigations that could have legal consequences for him.
- Civil lawsuit in New York: New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a major civil fraud lawsuit in September, alleging, among others, Trump, his company and their three children, Donald Junior, Eric and Ivanka. They are said to have manipulated the company value of the Trump Organization on a large scale and for years. According to this, the Trumps are said to have increased or decreased their finances, depending on their needs, in order to get loans more easily or to pay less taxes. Among other things, James wants the lawsuit to require the Trumps to pay $250 million in compensation.
- Criminal investigations in New York: Criminal investigations are also ongoing in New York regarding the business practices of the Trump Organization. She is accused of having systematically evaded taxes for at least 15 years. The group denies that.
- FBI search: Trump could be particularly dangerous investigations in connection with secret government documents from his tenure. The FBI federal police searched Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in August - the process is considered unprecedented in US history. The FBI confiscated various classified documents, some with the highest level of secrecy. By keeping the documents in his private home after Trump left office, he could have made himself liable to prosecution. After the search, a complicated legal wrangling began, which even the US Supreme Court is now dealing with. It remains to be seen whether Trump could ultimately be charged.
- Dispute over tax records: The Treasury Committee of the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives has long been fighting to get Trump's tax records. Contrary to political practice in the USA, Trump did not make his tax return public either as a presidential candidate or after moving into the White House. Critics suspect he has something to hide. The dispute in court is ongoing.
- Georgia investigation: Attorney Fani Willis in Fulton County, Georgia, launched an investigation into the 2020 presidential election last year. The background is a phone call between Trump and Georgia's chief election supervisor, Brad Raffensperger. During the conversation, Trump asked him to "find" the missing votes in order to overturn Democrat Joe Biden's narrow election victory in the state. Several Trump allies have been asked to testify before a jury that has now been set up. Willis did not rule out subpoenaing Trump himself.
- Inquiry into the storming of the Capitol: After an incendiary Trump speech, supporters of the Republican stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. They wanted to prevent Congress from making Biden's election victory official. A committee of inquiry in Congress is working on the attack - the next public meeting is scheduled for Thursday. Various witnesses there have already heavily burdened Trump with their statements. Pressure is mounting on the Justice Department to launch a criminal prosecution against Trump.
