Former President Donald Trump has taken legal action against ABC and one of its prominent news hosts, George Stephanopoulos, over alleged defamation during a broadcast.
The lawsuit, filed on Monday, centers around comments made by Stephanopoulos on his show, “This Week With George Stephanopoulos,” where he stated that Trump had been found liable for the rape of writer E. Jean Carroll. According to the complaint, these statements were made despite Stephanopoulos knowing they did not align with the jury’s findings.
The issue arose from an episode aired on March 10, during which Stephanopoulos was discussing Trump in the context of an interview with Representative Nancy Mace. The ABC News host referenced a civil case involving Trump and Carroll, inaccurately stating that Trump had been found liable for rape. The lawsuit claims that these remarks were not only false but prepared in advance, suggesting a deliberate intent to harm Trump’s reputation.
During the segment in question, Stephanopoulos attempted to draw a connection between Mace’s personal experience as a rape victim and her political support for Trump, despite the controversial verdicts. Mace pushed back against the insinuation, accusing Stephanopoulos of trying to shame her for her political choices and highlighting the broader issue of victim shaming. Despite Stephanopoulos’s attempts to steer the conversation back to Trump, Mace reiterated her discomfort with the line of questioning, emphasizing the distinction between criminal and civil court findings.
The lawsuit underscores a contentious debate over the portrayal of high-profile legal cases in the media and their impact on public figures’ reputations. Trump, maintaining his innocence regarding Carroll’s allegations, seeks to challenge the veracity of Stephanopoulos’s statements and their implications.
