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Donald Trump: Not guilty of rape by reason of polling better than Jeb Bush?

Donald Trump on the man who reported Ivana Trump’s allegations: “He is a guy that is an unattractive guy.”

People in glass Trump Towers shouldn’t throw stones — or, perhaps, throw around accusations of rape, as one Donald Trump did recently in his now infamous remarks suggesting that Mexican immigrants are a bunch of rapists.

A must-read story yesterday in The Daily Beast points out that Trump is not only a rape accuser of sorts, but someone who was once very publicly accused of rape — by his now-former wife Ivana Trump, who, in a deposition in her divorce case against the Donald in the early 90s, said that she’s been attacked one night by her then husband in a fit of rage, screaming at her and pulling out her hair before ripping off her clothes and raping her. 

The Beast reports that, according to Lost Tycoon, a 1993 book about Trump by journalist Harry Hurt III, Ivana told her closest friends that “he raped me.” Later, though, in a statement she provided through Trump’s lawyers, and that was reprinted in the book as “A Notice to Readers,” Ivana backed away from the R-word, saying that

[a]s a woman, I felt violated, as the love and tenderness, which he normally exhibited towards me, was absent. I referred to this as a ‘rape,’ but I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense.

Make of that what you will.

At the time, the Daily Beast notes, Trump declared the account in the book

incorrect and done by a guy without much talent … He is a guy that is an unattractive guy who is a vindictive and jealous person.

Very Trumpian.

But even more remarkable than this bizarre denial was the even Trumpier response that Michael Cohen, one of Trump’s lawyers, gave to the Daily Beast writer who asked him about the allegations:

You’re talking about the front-runner for the GOP, presidential candidate, as well as private individual who never raped anybody. 

Evidently one cannot be a rapist if one is polling better than Jeb Bush.

Cohen continued:

And, of course, understand that by the very definition, you can’t rape your spouse.

As the Beast points out, Cohen is completely wrong here. Not only is marital rape illegal in New York state now; it was illegal in New York state in 1989, the date of the alleged rape.

Perhaps sensing he wasn’t getting anywhere with the “you can’t rape your spouse” angle, “Trump’s lawyer then changed tactics,” the Beast reports,

lobbing insults and threatening a lawsuit if a story was published.

“I will make sure that you and I meet one day while we’re in the courthouse. And I will take you for every penny you still don’t have. And I will come after your Daily Beast and everybody else that you possibly know,” Cohen said. “So I’m warning you, tread very fucking lightly, because what I’m going to do to you is going to be fucking disgusting. You understand me?”

“You write a story that has Mr. Trump’s name in it, with the word ‘rape,’ and I’m going to mess your life up…for as long as you’re on this frickin’ planet…you’re going to have judgments against you, so much money, you’ll never know how to get out from underneath it,” he added.

Someone’s a bit grouchy.

Cohen continued, telling the Beast that

there is nothing reasonable about you wanting to write a story about somebody’s usage of the word ‘rape,’ when she’s talking [about] she didn’t feel emotionally satisfied.”

“Though there’s many literal senses to the word, if you distort it, and you put Mr. Trump’s name there onto it, rest assured, you will suffer the consequences. So you do whatever you want. You want to ruin your life at the age of 20? You do that, and I’ll be happy to serve it right up to you,” he added.

Given that the Beast ran the story, and we’re talking about it now, it kind of, sort of, appears that Cohen’s Trumpian lawyering backfired a little bit. And that’s a very good thing, because this is a story that needs to be re-aired.

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Aunt Edna
Aunt Edna
9 years ago

@Grumpy:

Yes, when Ms. Ex-Trump said ‘incredible,’ she must have meant ‘lacking credibility.’ English is not her native language.

Also yes on Tilicum’s mental health ‘ professional’ credentials. Like Rollo ‘The Irrational Male’ Tomassi who took a class in behaviorism some time in HS or college and considers himself an expert in psychology.

GrumpyOldSocialJusticeMangina

@!Katz: Save the Subjunctive!

GrumpyOldSocialJusticeMangina

If Tilikum really is a mental health professional, dogg help his patients.

I thought he was an easily detectable troll. He came here basically trying to answer an either-or question with yes or no; he made an anti-feminist comment in what he thought was feminist rhetoric. That’s pretty clearly bad faith.
He thought we would be too stupid to figure out his game, and he was shocked at how transparent we found him — all the fart smellers at Chateau Fartiste are constantly telling him that feminists are stupid.

ryeash
9 years ago

They’re both assholes who I love and they snort when they laugh those jerks. Why do you both have to be such fucks to Dalish you smug assholes I love you don’t ever change you frustrating, hypocritical, self-hating asshats. You smiles light up my life but I am either not elfy enough or too elfy WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO MY HEART STOP.

Ugggggggggh, I know T_T Bioware’s characters always do mean stuff to my feels. God. Damn. ANDERS. I will never never never forgive them for Anders not now not never.

I blame myself for wanting to break it off with Solas, though. I wanted to know what the terror demon was saying to him in the Fade, and I pieced together his secret from that. To be fair, I feel like an elf would know what someone was saying in Elvish, so, like…from a role play perspective, it works? That’s what I tell my partner when he makes fun of me for self-spoiling, anyway.

…also, I have second thoughts every time Solas greets me with “My Heart” >_>. Dammit.

Pandapool -- The Species that Endangers YOU (aka Banana Jackie Cake, for those who still want to call me "Banana", "Jackie" or whatever)
Pandapool -- The Species that Endangers YOU (aka Banana Jackie Cake, for those who still want to call me "Banana", "Jackie" or whatever)
9 years ago

@ryeash

You haven’t finished the game yet? Do you know what happens with Solas?

If you don’t, you poor fool. You poor, poor fool.

If you do, I’m here for you.

http://33.media.tumblr.com/b55a27e1a2e039714e4a62cde8a8b007/tumblr_inline_nqzkzusF9S1r5rirb_500.gif

Shaenon
9 years ago

As both a mental health and media professional, you have inspired me to start thinking about a documentary on this very issue, and with the (anonymously of course) interesting actors of both sides.

YESSSSSS

DO IT

DO THE DEED

I will be in it. I’m on Facebook under the same name. Contact me.

ryeash
9 years ago

@Pandapool

…………………………………….okay, I looked up everything that happens with him. I couldn’t help it! I couldn’t take another Anders! I heard what the demon said, and…I just Googled it all. I have a problem.

And I’m also ashamed to say that I haven’t finished the game yet. I got to it late and am a rabid completionist (those murals will be the death of me), then ESO finally came out, and I got distracted.

BTW excellent gif work, as always. I’m a fan 🙂

Pandapool -- The Species that Endangers YOU (aka Banana Jackie Cake, for those who still want to call me "Banana", "Jackie" or whatever)
Pandapool -- The Species that Endangers YOU (aka Banana Jackie Cake, for those who still want to call me "Banana", "Jackie" or whatever)
9 years ago

@ryeash

Thank Tumblr for the gif, ma falon.

Also, we’re getting DLC involving Solas probably, so perhaps maybe he won’t be another Thane. Hopefully. I mean, you know what’s up. It would be a wasted opportunity for only one game. Plus that foreshadowing at the end? I mean, really now.

Also I wanna help him help the People. :<

In Tevinter.

Hint, BioWare, who will never read this post and probably has the next game an eighth of the way done already.

Bina
9 years ago

It’s safe to say that my posts here, there, and everywhere, when considered as the mirror they are intended to be, reflect quite a bit of anti-social ugliness. I wonder if life has become so easy that our minds, unable to deal with the lack of struggle, choose to invent drama and derision as an adjustment tool. To keep it sharp and non-complacent.

Anyway, it has spiked a metric shit ton of traffic to my empty blog (I assume so folks can validate selection bias) which has sparked a new idea. As both a mental health and media professional, you have inspired me to start thinking about a documentary on this very issue, and with the (anonymously of course) interesting actors of both sides.

Thank you all for the valuable (if not wildly vicious) example from which to draw.

Translation: I have nothing interesting, worthwhile or insightful to say, but I’m still going to take snide pokes at you, then bloviate at length on my shitty blog, just to show you who the REAL penis-haver is.

Yup, you sure showed us, Trollicus.

ryeash
9 years ago

@Pandapool

Good gods, why must you do this to me so close to end game?? Now I must stare dramatically into the sunset and ponder how elfy I want to be.

Pandapool -- The Species that Endangers YOU (aka Banana Jackie Cake, for those who still want to call me "Banana", "Jackie" or whatever)
Pandapool -- The Species that Endangers YOU (aka Banana Jackie Cake, for those who still want to call me "Banana", "Jackie" or whatever)
9 years ago

@ryeash

I really couldn’t bring myself to romance Sera completely as an elf since she’s so anti elf and I really like elves, city and Dalish. My next playthrough I’ll probably be Qunari, just for her. (Although I’m borrowing the game right now, so that’ll probably have to wait.)

Sera happens to like giant women.

Pandapool -- The Species that Endangers YOU (aka Banana Jackie Cake, for those who still want to call me "Banana", "Jackie" or whatever)
Pandapool -- The Species that Endangers YOU (aka Banana Jackie Cake, for those who still want to call me "Banana", "Jackie" or whatever)
9 years ago

Solas is less anti elf. He doesn’t mind city elves but he thinks Dalish are misguided, holding onto fragments of fragments. Plus, he understands where Quizzy is coming from with Dalish things. He might not like it, but he won’t, for instance, laugh in your face and tease you over something the Dalish got wrong, like Sera does.

ryeash
9 years ago

!!!Dragon Age: Inquisition spoilers!!!

@Pandapool

Dude, Solas is what Elven mothers scare their children with. No thanks. I’ll take a smartass rebel with a bad case of denial over the boogeyman any day.

Sure she’s critical about elves, but what do you expect from someone abandoned by elf parents and raised by humans? Rich humans, even, so probably racist ones. She’s a product of her environment, and not even a committed one.

Pandapool -- The Species that Endangers YOU (aka Banana Jackie Cake, for those who still want to call me "Banana", "Jackie" or whatever)
Pandapool -- The Species that Endangers YOU (aka Banana Jackie Cake, for those who still want to call me "Banana", "Jackie" or whatever)
9 years ago

@ryeash

DA:I Spoilers

Fen’Harel is called The Rebel God for a reason.

Abelas didn’t cower in front of Solas and he was an ancient one, one who was alive when Arlathan was still around, who would have seen his crimes first hand. Mythal called him an old friend. Mythal the Mother Goddess of the elves. A “boogeyman” Fen’Harel is not. His name was likely slandered in some sort of uprising, freeing of the slaves of the gods, and since I’d imagine slaves wouldn’t know how to chronologize history, Fen’Harel became hated to those closest to the gods, closest to the people who benefited to their power, those who had power and influence over all elves and likely slaughtered those who rebelled against them.

Spend some time walking around with Solas, him with Dorian, with Iron Bull, with Cassandra and Sera and Cole. Listen to them talk. He is wholly against slavery, against the Qun, against how the Tevinter treat elves and spirits and his passion about it. Listen with how he respects Cassandra, answers her questions, respect her belief of the Maker. Listen on how he tries to teach Sera though she’s stubborn and how he calms down poor Cole when he freaks out when the Veil is thin.

He is not evil. He might not be telling the whole truth, but he is honest in what he believes, and he believes in the freedom of all people through rebellion. The difference between him and Sera is maturity and the will to actually topple regimes at any cost, not just rough up nobles like Sera likes to do.

Olive O'Sudden
Olive O'Sudden
9 years ago

Not only did the Donald sexually assault Ivana, he ripped out handfuls of her hair after he had just had his scalp reduced by a surgeon who Ivana had used in the past. He was in pain and I guess, understandably, disappointed with the results, and he took out his rage on his wife. If Hillary Clinton had every ripped out anybody else’s hair with her bare hands, she’d be forced to quit the primaries.

indifferentsky
9 years ago

David, can we please have an open thread on the police murders that have been going on? Please?
http://www.wlwt.com/news/uc-officer-charged-with-murder-in-fatal-shooting-of-sam-dubose/34427220

Moocow
Moocow
9 years ago

@Shaenon

Y’know that reminds me, isn’t the premier of the Sarkeesian effect supposed to happen soon? I, for one, am [i]very[/i] excited. *grin*

indifferentsky
9 years ago

YEAH, it’s supposed to be July 31st!!!

Pandapool -- The Species that Endangers YOU (aka Banana Jackie Cake, for those who still want to call me "Banana", "Jackie" or whatever)
Pandapool -- The Species that Endangers YOU (aka Banana Jackie Cake, for those who still want to call me "Banana", "Jackie" or whatever)
9 years ago

That’s on a blue moon.

EJ (The Other One)
EJ (The Other One)
9 years ago

Where’s it showing? This is something worth dressing up for. I’m totally down for cosplaying as Owen and Aurini.

katz
9 years ago

Erm, I’m not sure an Owen costume would be allowed in public…

dhag85
9 years ago

I might be able to put together an Aurini costume, but I don’t know if I’d want to carry those skulls around all day.

Bina
9 years ago

Meanwhile, dressing up as Jordan Owen should be a snap. A long, uncombed wig (or if one’s own hair is that long, just leave it to rat for a few days) and the schlubbiest, baggiest, worst-fitting things in the closet. And a bathtub.

Luzbelitx - from my phone
Luzbelitx - from my phone
9 years ago

Ok, I found a top secret project for the Owen-Davis cosplay. The Aurini impersonator is missing, but the skulls are right there (along with their full skeleton)

http://gpodfamily.org/2012/halloween/20121028-karate-kid-gpod3.jpg

Orion
Orion
9 years ago

I dunno. If you’re Dalish, Solas is unacceptably bigoted toward you personally, questioning your abilities and motivations instead of treating you as an individual. But are Solas and Sera too anti-Dalish or anti-elf? I’m not convinced. Throughout the first two games, the Dalish tribes have consistently turned out to be assholes who ruin everything they touch. Everything good is done by mavericks, exiles, and pariahs.

………………………………

What do people think about the fan theory that Sera is the goddess Andruil?