Trump claims ‘big win’ after judge rejects ABC News attempt to dismiss defamation suit

Donald Trump will be allowed to sue ABC News and George Stephanopoulos for defamation after a federal judge rejected the network’s attempts to dismiss a lawsuit targeting the anchor’s statements that Trump had been “found liable for rape.”

In March, Stephanopoulos pressed congresswoman Nancy Mace about her support for the former president, despite a judge finding him “liable for rape by a jury.”

“Donald Trump has been found liable for defaming the victim of that rape by a jury. It’s been affirmed by a judge,” he said.

Two separate juries found Trump liable for defaming and sexually abusing E Jean Carroll after he repeatedly called her a liar for speaking publicly about allegations that he assaulted her in the 1990s. Trump has appealed the $83.3m verdict

The judge overseeing those cases wrote last year that Carroll’s failure to “prove that she was ‘raped’ within the meaning of the New York Penal Law does not mean that she failed to prove that Mr Trump ‘raped’ her as many people commonly understand the word ‘rape.’”

“Indeed, as the evidence at trial recounted below makes clear, the jury found that Mr Trump in fact did exactly that,” US District Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote.

But Trump’s lawyers sued the network in federal court in Florida and accused Stephanopoulos of making “patently and demonstrably false” statements about him on air.

On Wednesday, US District Judge Cecilia Altonagadenied the network’s motion to dismiss the case.

“A BIG WIN TODAY IN HIGH FLORIDA COURT AGAINST ABC FAKE NEWS, AND LIDDLE’ GEORGE SLOPADOPOLUS. A POWERFUL CASE!” the Republican presidential nominee wrote on Truth Social.

“BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA WILL BE FORCED BY THE COURTS TO START TELLING THE TRUTH. THIS IS A GREAT DAY FOR OUR