The presumptive GOP nominee, Donald Trump, has taken legal action against ABC News and George Stephanopoulos, alleging defamation following the “This Week” host’s repeated on-air statements suggesting Trump was “found liable for rape.” However, whether Trump has a solid case is a matter of contention.
“The statement that Trump was found liable for rape is a lie,” asserted Fox News contributor Leo Terrell in an off-air interview with Fox News Digital.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., a survivor of assault, expressed feeling personally targeted when Stephanopoulos, a former key figure in President Bill Clinton’s administration, grilled her in a recent interview, questioning her support for Trump in light of allegations of him being “liable for rape.”
Stephanopoulos iterated the phrase “liable for rape” 10 times during the interview, though a federal jury in New York determined that Trump was not liable for rape but was liable for sexual abuse and defamation in the 2023 civil case involving advice columnist E. Jean Carroll versus Trump.
“Despite Donald Trump being a public figure and the higher standard for defamation that applies, ABC News and George Stephanopoulos cannot point to any civil or criminal verdict against Donald Trump for rape,” Terrell contended.
“Let me be unequivocal,” he continued. “There isn’t a single legal document anywhere that finds Donald J. Trump liable for rape.”
Terrell, a seasoned member of the California Bar, providing legal insights across various Fox News platforms, believes ABC News and Stephanopoulos will likely face significant financial consequences.
“In my legal assessment, Donald Trump has a clear-cut defamation case against ABC News and George Stephanopoulos,” Terrell stated. “Notice how other left-leaning networks are now cautious about using the phrase ‘liable for rape.’ Undoubtedly, their legal advisors warned against it.”
Terrell pointed out that ABC News and Stephanopoulos cannot plead ignorance and had the means to conduct thorough research into the validity of rape allegations before the Mace interview.
“The primary aim of George Stephanopoulos’ remarks was to deliberately damage and undermine President Trump’s chances for the presidency,” Terell asserted.
However, Fox News contributor Andrew McCarthy, a former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, holds a differing view.
“While it may benefit Trump politically, particularly in exposing the hypocrisy of Stephanopoulos, who was involved in President Clinton’s ‘bimbo eruptions’ saga in the 1990s, legally, Trump’s defamation lawsuit would likely falter,” McCarthy told Fox News Digital.