Former President Donald Trump mistook E. Jean Carroll, the columnist who alleges he raped her in a New York department store in the 1990s, for his ex-wife Marla Maples when he was shown an old photograph of Carroll during a deposition, court transcripts unsealed on Wednesday revealed.
Trump, who has denied raping Carroll and previously said she’s “not my type,” was shown a 1987 photo that featured him, his accuser and her husband, and his then-wife Ivana Trump.
Pointing to Carroll, he declared: “It’s Marla,” reported The Associated Press.
“You’re saying Marla is in this photo?” responded Roberta Kaplan, attorney for Carroll, per an excerpt of the testimony released by U.S. District Court for Southern New York.
“That’s Marla, yeah. That’s my wife,” Trump replied.
“No, that’s Carroll,” corrected the former president’s attorney, Alina Habba.
“Oh, I see,” said Trump, according to the AP.
In an earlier excerpt released from his deposition, Trump hurled insults about Carroll ― claiming she was “mentally sick” and a “nut job” who was only using the allegation to promote “a really crummy book.” He also threatened to retaliate over her lawsuit.
Carroll is suing Trump for defamation, claiming his comments about her appearance harmed her reputation. In a separate lawsuit, the writer is seeking damages for rape from Trump.
