I'll admit it: I was floored by how quickly the jury in the E. Jean Carroll trial came back — and with a $5 million verdict, no less. It's not because I had any doubts about the strength of the evidence for Carroll's claim that Donald Trump sexually assaulted her, likely in the spring of 1996. As anyone following the case closely could tell you, Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, rolled out about as airtight a case as could be expected. She also had the benefit of Trump as a defendant. He not only is on tape bragging about how he likes to "grab them by the pussy," during his taped deposition for this case, he radiated contempt for laws against sexual assault. He even used the word "fortunately" to describe "a million years" of carte blanche the privileged have to commit acts of sexual violence. It's unsurprising his lawyer elected not to have Trump testify, not that Trump would ever have the courage to do it. Trump's obvious pride in being a sexual predator may have led to a blurted confession on the stand.
No, my anxiety was built around a single question: Would some MAGA juror tank the case?
