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Why isn't Trump giving his DNA sample? DOJ's move to defend POTUS in E Jean Carroll's lawsuit sparks fury

Trump denied all the claims calling it 'totally false' and said he 'never met this person in my life'

In a surprising move, the Justice Department has asked to take over the defense of US President Donald Trump in a defamation suit brought by advice columnist E Jean Carroll, who claims he raped her two decades ago. On Tuesday, September 8, 2020, the Justice Department said in a court filing that Trump was acting “within the scope” of his job as president.

"President Trump was acting within the scope of his office as President of the United States at the time of the incidents out of which the Plaintiff's defamation claim arose. Indeed, when providing the challenged statements, the President was speaking to or responding to inquiries from the press, much as the elected officials in the cases cited above were speaking to the press or making other public statements at the time of their challenged actions," the Justice Department's court filing stated.

Carroll who wrote for Elle Magazine, alleged in a lawsuit that Trump sexually assaulted her in a dressing room at the luxury Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman in the 1990s. However, Trump denied all the claims calling it "totally false" and said he "never met this person in my life."

The case was moved to Manhattan federal court from a New York state court, where a judge last month denied his request to stall the suit. The fact that the Justice Department has taken over the defense of the suit filed in November 2019 now seems fishy and is not quite clear. Moreover, the move comes amid ongoing criticism that the DOJ has acted in the president's personal interests.

In an official statement, Carroll said on Tuesday, September 8: “Today’s actions demonstrate that Trump will do everything possible, including using the full powers of the federal government, to block discovery from going forward in my case before the upcoming election to try to prevent a jury from ever deciding which one of us is lying.” 

As per reports, Carroll has been seeking Trump's DNA sample to match with male genetic material found on the black Donna Karan dress Carroll says she wore during the alleged encounter that day. "President Trump knows that I told the truth when I said that he had sexually assaulted me in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman. He also knows that he was lying when he said that he had never met me before and that I 'wasn't his type,'" she also said.

"TRUMP HURLS BILL BARR AT ME. Just when @realDonaldTrump is required to produce documents and DNA in discovery, he sics the DOJ on us. THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED!! My attorney, @kaplanrobbie..." she first tweeted and then added, "TO DONALD J. TRUMP Sir, I and my attorney Robbie Kaplan, are ready! So is every woman who has ever been silenced! So is every American citizen who has been trampled by Bill Barr and the DOJ! BRING IT!" 

In no time, her tweet went viral and many people came out in her support. "I stand with you and I thank you and go get him!! Take him down. Bill Barr needs to be impeached for having a hand in this. (And many others instances)," one tweet read and another said, "I agreed totally, Bill Barr need to be indicted himself and send to prison. DOJ cannot defend Trump."

Yvette Nicole Brown tweeted: "Which means that our tax dollars will go to defend Trump in a defamation trial about a rape he committed. WE will also be on the hook for damages when he loses. WE will. ALSO if it’s a Federal crime, Pence can pardon him provided Trump resigns before Biden’s inauguration."

Calling Trump out for using taxpayers' money on this, one Twitter user said, "I don’t want government resources (my tax dollars) to defend an alleged rapist when a simple inexpensive DNA test can settle this." Another posted, "Again, why is this the DOJ's problem? is the president out of campaign money to spend on his legal bills? maybe Trump should spend his OWN money defending his OWN person and stop sticking it to the taxpayer."

Many pointed their fingers directly at Trump and wondered why couldn't he submit his DNA. "Why won’t Trump submit his DNA in a rape investigation? Why is the DOJ acting as his defense? Guilty," one tweet read. Another said, "This is truly rediculous! Bill Clinton never got the DOJ to defend him in a civil suit like cowardly Trump wants them to do against @ejeancarroll's brave lawsuit against him. Obviously, he's rocked to the core by having to provide DNA in the case." One Twitter user even went on to say: "The DOJ is supposed to fight crime, not protect the offenders. If Trump wants the world to know he’s innocent, he can provide his DNA to see if it matches the DNA on the dress she was wearing." Another tweet read: "We don't need the DOJ. We need the DNA. #TrumpIsNotLikeYou."