Verdict Seen as a 'Moment of Accountability' for Trump

After a jury found Donald Trump liable Tuesday for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll, the writer smiled and hugged supporters in a Manhattan federal courtroom. She later issued a statement: "I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back. Today, the world finally knows the truth. This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed." The jury awarded Carroll $5 million in a decision the former president slammed as a "disgrace." More:

• "Tangible consequences." While the jury did not find Trump liable for rape in the civil trial, this is the first time he has faced "tangible consequences" in a series of sexual misconduct allegations going back to the 1970s, writes Ryan Bort at Rolling Stone. Trump has always denied wrongdoing, often claiming that the allegations were politically motivated, Bort notes.

• Trump lawyer gets hostile reception. New York magazine reports that Trump attorney Joe Tacopina was heckled by Carroll supporter when he spoke to the press, with one shouting, "Trump is a rapist." Tacopina announced plans to appeal saying Trump is "firm in his belief, as many people are, that he cannot get a fair trial in New York City based on the jury pool."
• Trump blasts verdict, judge, jury. In multiple all-caps posts on his Truth Social network, Trump slammed the "VERY UNFAIR" trial and the "TRUMP HATING, CLINTON APPOINTED" judge. The jury, he said, was "FROM AN ANTI-TRUMP AREA WHICH IS PROBABLY THE WORST PLACE IN THE U.S. FOR ME TO GET A FAIR 'TRIAL.'"
• Two GOP senators speak out. Two Republican senators spoke out on the risk the verdict poses to Trump's White House bid, the BBC reports. "It has a cumulative effect," said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota. "People are going to have to decide if they want to deal with all the drama." Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said: "I don't think he can get elected. You can't win a general election with just your base."
• A reminder for voters. The Washington Post editorial board calls the verdict a "stark moment of accountability" for Trump. The former president has not just been credibly accused of sexual abuse but found liable for it by a jury of his peers," the board writes. "That and the behavior he showcased at trial should remind voters of what they rejected in 2020." In a deposition played in court, Trump said Carroll, who accused him of raping her in a store changing room in 1996, wasn't his "type," and neither was another witness who accused him of sexual assault. During the deposition, he told Carroll's lawyer Roberta Kaplan, "You wouldn't be a choice of mine, either, to be honest."

(More E. Jean Carroll stories.)