US lawyers ask 2nd Circuit to nix Trump from defamation suit

[Judi Lynn]

LARRY NEUMEISTER,
Associated Press
Jan. 15, 2021
Updated: Jan. 16, 2021 7:35 a.m.

NEW YORK (AP) — Justice Department lawyers asked a federal appeals court Friday to replace President Donald Trump with the United States as the defendant in a defamation lawsuit brought by a woman who says he raped her in the 1990s.

The lawyers filed papers in an appeal of a lower-court Manhattan judge’s ruling denying the substitution in a lawsuit brought by E. Jean Carroll, a columnist who in a June 2019 book described her encounter with Trump at an upscale Manhattan department store.

The book excerpt prompted Trump to deny the allegations and question Carroll’s credibility and motivations in a statement from his White House press office, comments in an Oval Office interview and statements to the media as he boarded a helicopter for Camp David, the lawyers said. Carroll subsequently sued Trump, alleging defamation.

The government lawyers said the statements fell within the scope of his employment as president because Carroll was, in effect, questioning his fitness to hold public office and thus statements had to be made, even if they were later deemed to be defamatory.

If the substitution was allowed, U.S. taxpayers would be responsible for any payout that might result in the litigation.

More:
https://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/US-lawyers-ask-2nd-Circuit-to-nix-Trump-from-15875419.php

[dawg day]

1. Why is the DOJ wasting resources on this,?

There are thousands of Trumpers to track down and prosecute.
They're not the president's lawyer.

[Nikki28]

2. everyone

in the JD needs to go because they are not Trump's lawyer.Biden needs to clean house, even if Chris Wray has to go too because he should have risked it all to let the American people know what was going on behind the scenes. Everyone who licked Trump's feet and was fearful of this mad man has to go.If Trump can clean house and put in incompetent hacks, Biden can choose FBI's who believe in the rule of law and independent of all institutions.

[2naSalit]

3. The US didn't rape her...

needy amin did.

[MissMillie]

4. I thought this was decided already

Didn't a court rule that the Justice Department had no role in this?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

5. Free legal advice ends January 20 Donny boy.

[Gothmog]

6. This claim does not pass the laugh out loud test