During Tuesday’s episode of MSNBC’s “All In With Chris Hayes,” the host spent some time discussing the civil trial verdict against Donald Trump earlier in the day. And as he kicked that off, Hayes paid tribute to what he said was the “incredible act of real persistence of E. Jean Carroll.”
Carroll sued the disgraced, twice-impeached former president for sexual battery and defamation. On Tuesday afternoon, after only 3 hours of deliberation, the jury turned in a unanimous verdict. While they didn’t find Trump guilty of rape, the jury did find him guilty of sexually assaulting Carroll, and of defaming her after she came forward to report the assault.
Trump has been ordered to pay Carroll $5 million.
“I think it’s worth taking a step back to acknowledge this incredible act of real persistence of E. Jean Carroll, who against all odds, and at a tremendous amount of personal cost to her time, her name, her reputation, relentlessly pursued this verdict,” Hayes said Tuesday night.
“She testified. She re-told her story time and time again for 3 days. She faced questioning from Trump’s attorney,” Hayes continued, ” who asked her repeatedly why she didn’t scream when the assault took place. Why she didn’t go to the police. And why it took her several years to come forward.”
Hayes noted how Carroll “told the jury that she did not want to tell her story, that she was ‘afraid Donald Trump would retaliate… which is exactly what he did… one of my biggest fears came true.’”
All of that was preamble to Hayes’ interview with Natasha Stoynoff, one of the many women who has credibly accused Trump of sexual assault. She was also one of the 11 witnesses Carroll called during the trial. You can watch his remarks about Carroll at the top of the page, and the full interview below.
