CNN
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New unpublished documents from Donald Trump in the case of E. Jean Carroll show that the former president mistook Carroll for his ex-wife Marla Maples in a photo.
The documents show that during his October 2022 appointment, Trump was shown a black-and-white photo of himself interacting with several people, including his then-wife Ivana, Carroll and her then-husband.
“I don’t know who — it’s Marla,” Trump said after being shown the photo. “That’s Marla, yeah. That’s my wife,” he said when asked to clarify.
Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, interrupted and said “no, that’s Carroll,” according to the filing.
Carroll first sued Trump in 2019 for defamation after denying that he sexually assaulted her. She filed a second lawsuit against Trump in November under a new law that allowed her to face battery charges even after the statute of limitations had passed.
Trump has denied sexual misconduct by the former magazine columnist and said he never forced a woman to have sex with him, according to documents published last week.
In his speech, Trump repeated previous comments that he did not know Carroll and that he was not his type, which may have been questioned after he was shown the photo.
Mr Trump said that while it was “not politically correct” to say he was not his race, he said he had to defend himself. He added that it was not meant to be an insult.
Asked if he had ever kissed a woman without permission, Trump testified, “Well, I don’t … I can’t think of any complaints. But no. I mean, I don’t think so.” He also denied that he had ever touched a woman’s breasts or buttocks.
Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan asked Trump, “Have you ever forced a woman to sleep with you?”
“The answer is no. But you can have some people, like your client, who are willing to lie,” Trump said.
