WASHINGTON — Writer E. Jean Carroll urged the District of Columbia’s highest local court to reject what her lawyers described as a “troubling” position by Donald Trump and the Justice Department that elected officials are immune against defamation claims whenever they speak about matters of public concern.
Carroll accused Trump of defaming her when he made disparaging comments in response to her allegation that he raped her in a department store dressing room several decades ago. The future of her lawsuit hinges on convincing the appeals court judges that Trump isn’t entitled to a legal protection that covers federal employees against being sued over actions they take as part of their job.
“Presidents are free to deny allegations of misconduct,” Carroll’s lawyers wrote in a brief filed Thursday. “But a White House job is not a promise of unlimited authority to brutalize victims of prior wrongdoing through vicious, personal, defamatory attacks.”
