Donald Trump has sued ABC News and George Stephanopoulos, alleging defamation after the news host said on air that Trump was “found liable for rape.”

The comments came during a heated March 10th “This Week” interview between Stephanopoulos and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC).

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The Hill reports:

The March 10 interview on “This Week” made headlines after Mace, a rape survivor, accused Stephanopoulos of trying to “shame” her by probing why she endorsed the former president despite juries’ recent verdicts against him in advice columnist E. Jean Carroll’s sexual battery and defamation lawsuits.

Trump’s lawsuit takes aim at how Stephanopoulos at multiple points in his questioning said Trump had been found “liable for rape.” The jury had found Trump liable for sexual abuse under New York law, but not rape.

“Judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape and for defaming the victim of that rape. How do you square your endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw, ” Stephanopoulos asked during the interview.

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“These statements were and remain false, and were made by Defendant Stephanopoulos with actual malice or with a reckless disregard for the truth given that Defendant Stephanopoulos knows that these statements are patently and demonstrably false,” Trump’s attorney, Alejandro Brito, wrote in the 20-page complaint.

WATCH:

Collin Rugg writes:

Donald Trump sues ABC News and host George Stephanopoulos for defaming him during an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace.

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The lawsuit stems from Stephanopoulos’ questioning of Mace about being a r*pe survivor.

The show host apparently lied about Trump during his questioning of Mace when he asserted that Trump was found “liable for r*pe.”

“Judges and two separate juries have found him liable for r*pe and for defaming the victim of that r*pe. How do you square your endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw?” Stephanopoulos said.

Trump was *not* found liable for r*pe.

“These statements were and remain false, and were made by Defendant Stephanopoulos with actual malice or with a reckless disregard for the truth given that Defendant Stephanopoulos knows that these statements are patently and demonstrably false,” Trump’s attorneys said.

From Deadline:

Mace said to Stephanopoulos, “I’ve lived for 30 years with an incredible amount of shame over being raped. I didn’t come forward because of that judgment and shame that I felt. And it is a shame that you will never feel, George. And I am not going to sit here on your show and be asked a question meant to shame me about another potential rape victim.”

Stephanopoulos continued to question Mace on the point, while denying that he was attempting to shame her.

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Mace said, “He defended himself over that and denies that it ever happened, but he was not found guilty in a criminal court of law.”

 

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