You don't find it offensive that Donald Trump has been
found liable for rape.
Tonight, the fallout from a bombshell settlement in president-elect Trump's
defamation suit against ABC News endorsed Donald Trump for president.
Judges and two separate juries have found him liable for
rape and for defaming the victim of that rape.
The lawsuit stemming from this March interview by anchor George
Stephanopoulos, where he grilled South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace, a
survivor of rape, on how she could support Trump.
Today, I'm asking you a very simple question, and I
answered.
You're shaming me for my political choice.
I'm asking you a question about why you endorse someone
who's been found liable for rape.
It was not a Criminal Court.
This was, this was, it was a civil war.
Stephanopoulos falsely saying Trump was liable for rape more than
10 times over the course of the interview.
It has been shown to be raped.
The judge affirmed that it was in fact, rape.
Donald Trump was found to have committed rape.
That's just a fact.
In fact, the jury in the E Jean Carroll case
found Trump liable for sexual abuse and explicitly not for
rape.
Mr.
Trump sued, claiming that Stephanopoulos and the network knew or
should have known the statement was false, his lawyers citing
this interview Stephanopoulos did with Carol months earlier.
The first announcement was made and it was that he
was not found liable for rape.
What were we thinking at that moment?
Robbie and I were sitting together and were holding hands.
Her hand was ice cold.
Complicating the dispute, the judge in the Carroll case clarified
in a written opinion that New York's definition of the
term rape is narrow and that the jury's finding quote
does not mean that she failed to prove Mr.
Trump raped her, as many people commonly understand the word
rape.
The jury found that Mister Trump in fact, did exactly
that.
It was against my will and it hurt and it
was a fight.
Carroll alleged Trump assaulted her in a Manhattan department store
in the mid 90s.
Trump is appealing 2 jury verdicts ordering him to pay
Carroll nearly $90 million in the settlement.
ABC agreeing to donate $15 million to Trump's presidential library,
pay $1 million to his legal team and add a
statement to their article on the interview.
Reading ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President
Donald J Trump made during the interview.
In a statement, the network saying We are pleased that
the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit
on the terms in the court filing.
The deal widely seen as a win for president-elect Trump,
who has made attacking the news media part of his
political brand for years.
We have to straighten out the press.
Our press is very corrupt, almost as corrupt as our
elections.
Some journalists criticizing AB CS decision to settle.
Paul Farhi, former media reporter with the Washington Post calling
the agreement an awful precedent and a huge sell out.
Kendalanian joins us now.
Ken, a lot going on, a lot of people talking
about this one.
I understand President-elect Trump is now promising even more defamation
suits against news organizations.
That's right, Tom, today, he announced his intention to sue
the Des Moines Register over a poll published in that
newspaper just before the election showing that Kamala Harris was
up four points.
It was by a really well known pollster, Ann Seltzer,
who subsequently retired and acknowledged that that poll was wrong.
It was an outlier.
And this is one of many.
If he sues, it would be 1 of many defamation
sues he has going against the New York Times, The
Washington Post, the Pulitzer board, Bob Woodward.
Mr.
Trump portrays himself as a crusader against the news media.
All right, Delania, first, can we appreciate that?