Former President Donald Trump briefly took the stand in the E. Gene Carroll civil defamation case, where a jury had previously found him liable for sexually abusing the former magazine columnist. The trial is now focused on determining the amount of damages Trump will have to pay Carroll. During his brief testimony, Trump was limited in what he could say, as the judge wanted him to stick to a predetermined script agreed upon by his lawyer. Trump affirmed that he stood by his previous depositions and admitted to denying Carroll's accusation because he considered it false. However, most of what Trump said after that point was stricken from the record by the judge, as the trial was not about determining the truth of the accusation but rather the damages to be awarded.
During cross-examination, Carroll's lawyers asked Trump if this was the first trial he had attended for this case. Trump confirmed that he had not attended the previous trial, during which the issue of the alleged sexual abuse had been litigated along with matters of defamation and damages. This raised questions about Trump's decision to attend the current trial, particularly in the midst of the 2024 campaign season.
In a separate matter, Peter Navarro, a former Trump advisor, was sentenced to four months in prison for defying a congressional subpoena issued by the House Select Committee investigating the events of January 6th. Navarro, like Steve Bannon, faced consequences for failing to comply with the subpoena by refusing to provide documents and testify before the committee. However, the judge mentioned that Navarro had publicly discussed post-election activities, even writing about them in a book, and noted that the defense's claim of a political prosecution was unsupported by evidence.
Navarro's attorneys promptly appealed the sentence, citing questions around executive privilege and his role in the Trump White House. As of now, he is released pending the outcome of the appeal process and may not have to report to jail immediately. Prosecutors had sought a harsher sentence, asking for six months on each count and a fine of $200,000. The judge's decision to give Navarro a shorter sentence and a lower fine was in line with avoiding potential reversals on appeal.
It remains uncertain whether Navarro and Bannon will ultimately serve prison time. Bannon has received a stay of his sentence pending appeal, and it is likely that Navarro's appeal will extend past January, potentially giving him an opportunity to avoid imprisonment should Trump win the presidency again.
