Because of a libel lawsuit
Donald Trump faces questioning before Christmas
Updated 12/14/2024 – 12:24 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
Donald Trump will have to answer questions from lawyers before the turn of the year. It’s about a lawsuit that he brought himself.
Donald Trump faces questioning by lawyers as part of his libel case against ABC News in the week before Christmas. This was decided by US Judge Lisette M. Reid, according to a report by NBCNews.
Lawyers for the broadcaster and “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos demanded in a virtual hearing that the president-elect be available for questioning. “I understand your frustration,” Judge Reid told ABC News attorney Nathan Siegel. She noted that Trump may have had good reasons to be unavailable during the campaign, “but now he is in a completely different situation and should be available.”
Siegel offered to make the hearing as comfortable as possible for the future president. He wanted to fly to Florida and interview him near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence and plan no longer than four hours. However, Trump’s lawyer Alejandro Brito expressed concerns that the Secret Service would have to be involved in organizing the questioning.
Trump filed the lawsuit against ABC News and Stephanopoulos after the anchor claimed that Trump had been convicted of rape by a federal jury. In fact, the jury found Trump guilty of sexual abuse and assault against writer E. Jean Carroll, but not rape. However, according to NBCNews, a judge later ruled in writing: “Mr. Trump did indeed ‘rape’ Ms. Carroll, as that term is commonly used and understood.”
