Conservative columnist torches Trump lawyer’s 'coarse, obnoxious and disrespectful' rape defense tactics

Journalist E. Jean Carroll's civil defamation and rape trial against former President Donald Trump is still underway in New York City. On Sunday, conservative columnist Jennifer Rubin explained in a Washington Posteditorial why Trump is likely to lose.

"It is risky to predict a verdict," Rubin begins. "But if this were a contest between lawyers, it would be a knockout, possibly on day one."

Rubin touches on several key points, the first of which is Trump's declination to participate in person.

READ MORE: 'Donald Trump raped me': E. Jean Carroll’s civil trial against embattled ex-president begins

Trump's absence, Rubin writes, "allows Carroll's lawyers to read his deposition into the record. Moreover, it tells the jury Trump doesn't respect the court or them enough to show up." This may prove especially problematic for Trump, Rubin notes, because of how unfavorably Trump is viewed on his home turf.

"No juror who underwent voir dire had ever attended a Trump rally, followed Truth Social, believed medical evidence of rape was necessary or thought the passage of time made an allegation of sexual assault less believable. The prospective jurors were of different races, educational levels and jobs. No MAGA-hat wearers or Proud Boys in the bunch. (Among the nine, many said they watch mainstream news outlets — another bad sign for Trump)," Rubin observes.

Secondly, Rubin recalls the narrative that Carroll's counselors painted for the court about Trump's alleged predatory behavior toward their client and other potential victims.

"Carroll’s opening argument was delivered by one of the judge's former clerks, Shawn Crowley. (This team is very cleverly establishing its credibility with the judge.) She effectively took jurors through the alleged rape incident. MSNBC analyst Lisa Rubin (no relation) tweeted that Crowley was most compelling when 'convincingly weaving together the stories of Carroll and the two other accusers, Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff, into 'three women, one pattern,' all of which tracks Trump's own statement on the Access Hollywood tape,'" Rubin states.

READ MORE: Trump looks to be 'conceding' loss in E. Jean Carroll defamation trial: legal expert

Rubin believes that Trump attorney Joe Tacopina's aggressive treatment of Carroll signals that the case is not going to end well for Trump.

"In his opening remarks, Tacopina was belligerent and insulting," Rubin recalls. "He called Carroll a liar out to make money. He repeated Trump's denial that he had raped Carroll. He called her suit 'an assault on justice.' He said he would call no witnesses of his own. (So why not tell the judge that Trump isn't showing up?) He was coarse, obnoxious and disrespectful — a perfect mouthpiece for his client."

During his cross-examination of Carroll on Thursday, Tacopina, according to Rubin, was "gruff, belittling and heavy-handed" and "scored few if any hits and frequently drew rebukes from the judge. Carroll freely admitted her memory holes and tersely pushed back on his insinuations that she was in this for the money. In some sense, her inability to recall specifics such as the date and day of the week made her account even more credible."

Conversely, Rubin views Carroll's testimony as raw, consistent, and devastating.

"I'm here because Donald Trump raped me and when I wrote about it, he said it didn't happen,” Carroll told the court. "He lied and shattered my reputation, and I'm here to try to get my life back.”

Rubin chronicles how Carroll "took the jury through the alleged rape and explained in an altogether credible way how sexual assault victims don't come forward because they feel responsible and ashamed — or fear their attacker."

Carroll, Rubin adds, "has taken the worst Trump's lawyers can throw at her. She remains the poised, credible and somewhat sad, fragile figure she was when the trial began."

READ MORE: Trump’s lawyer blew his legal defense in defamation case: legal expert

Jennifer Rubin's full column continues here (subscription required).