Harold Hutchison on January 26, 2024
Republicans blasted the verdict in a defamation case against former President Donald Trump Friday.
A Manhattan jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in compensatory and punitive damages Friday after he criticized her during a May 2023 town hall on CNN, after he was found liable for defamation and sexual battery in a separate trial. Republicans questioned the fairness of the proceedings.
“Pres Trump was denied a fair trial in NY where judges are now political activist instead of delivering justice!” Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia posted on X.
“A country where you cannot deny a fantastical, false allegation is not a free country,” Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz posted.
Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake of Arizona also blasted the verdict.
“This outrageous verdict against President Trump proves, yet again, that the system isn’t just broken — It’s corrupt as hell,” Lake said in a statement released Friday night. “There is no justice to be found unless you are a Biden supporter.”
“Defamation accusations are being weaponized against the leaders of the America First movement, whether they be Trump, Rudy Guiliani, or me — if you say anything against the corrupt political machine you are targeted,” Lake continued. “For Rudy and me, it’s questioning wrongdoing in our elections. For President Donald J. Trump, it’s defending himself and fighting back against wild accusations from a lunatic he has never met.”
Another Republican lawmaker predicted the verdict would be overturned.
“The Carroll verdict is another example of the weaponization of gov’t against political opponents,” Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona posted on X. “This is election interference from Biden, the Left, and a judge whacked out of his mind.”
“I am confident that a rational appellate court will overturn this outrageous verdict,” Biggs concluded.
