McConnell: Americans to Decide on Trump’s Verdict in E. Jean Carroll Case.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell Declines to Comment on Trump Verdict

What Happened?

On May 10, a New York jury found former President Donald Trump civilly liable for battery and defamation in a lawsuit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll. The jury rejected Carroll’s allegations that she was raped by Trump in a New York City department store in the mid-1990s.

The jury awarded Carroll $2 million in compensatory damages and $20,000 in punitive damages in the battery claim. She was awarded an additional million in damages in the defamation claim.

Trump called the verdict a “disgrace” in a Truth Social post and his attorney, Joseph Tacopina, has said that the former president is planning to appeal the verdict.

McConnell’s Response

When asked by a reporter whether the verdict was legitimate, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) declined to comment, saying, “That’s about presidential politics and that will all be settled in the primaries next year.”

McConnell added, “I don’t have any observations about it, the American people are going to have to decide, particularly Republicans and Democrats who they want to run for president.”

Reactions from Democrats and Republicans

Democrats have celebrated the jury’s decision against Trump, while Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy came to Trump’s defense.

“Based on the sheer timing of the allegations…this seems like just another part of the establishment’s anaphylactic response against its chief political allergen: Donald Trump,” Ramaswamy said.

• Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) wrote on Twitter, “A jury just found Donald Trump liable for sexually assaulting E. Jean Carroll. The Republican party will STILL eagerly stand by him to prop him up while they offer their unwavering support. Their subservience is a slap in the face to survivors and all women.”

It remains to be seen how this verdict will impact Trump’s political future.