Napolitano Advises Newsmax: Trump Should Have Testified in Carroll Trial

Former New Jersey Superior Court Judge Andrew Napolitano shared insights on Tuesday, saying that damages would be less if former President Donald Trump testified in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case.

Trump appeared at his defamation damages trial in New York on Tuesday, seated approximately 10 feet away from E. Jean Carroll, the writer whom a civil jury concluded last year that he had sexually abused in the 1990s, reported NBC News.

Napolitano emphasized on “Carl Higbie FRONTLINE” the significance of Trump’s absence as a witness during the trial, stating, “The jury believed her in large measure because Donald Trump, in my view, did not testify in that case. I looked right in the camera and said, ‘Mr. President, I think you should take the witness stand. You have a great lawyer there, Joe Tacopina, to defend you.'”

Napolitano, a senior judicial analyst for Newsmax, expressed surprise at Joe Tacopina’s Monday withdrawal from the case, saying, “That’s another crazy thing. Last night, Joe withdrew from the case. I don’t know why a great lawyer loyal to Donald Trump, [who] is a terrific cross-examiner… wasn’t in court this morning.”

Tacopina, a member of Trump’s legal team, confirmed on Monday that he would no longer represent the former President in a Manhattan criminal case related to alleged hush money payments and a civil case appeal, Reuters reported.

Napolitano discussed the impact of Tacopina’s withdrawal on the ongoing legal proceedings, stating, “In light of Tacopina’s withdrawal, normally, the case would be adjourned. But there was another lawyer there ready to take the case over. This is all about money. I think if the President shows up and testifies the amount of money that he will owe her will go down. But he’s got more important things to do because he’s in New Hampshire.”

Addressing the potential reopening of the liability portion of the case, Napolitano clarified, “Will the issue of what happened in that dressing room come up? Only to say that this is what the jury ruled, but they’re not going to recount the events there because, as I said, this is just about damages.”

The legal developments coincided with the Iowa caucuses, marking the beginning of the 2024 campaign. On Monday, Trump scored a record-setting win in the Iowa caucuses, with his rivals languishing far behind, which affirmed his grip on the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

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