E. Jean Carroll's book is out. What to know about her allegation of sexual assault by Donald Trump
Rebecca MorinWASHINGTON – E. Jean Carroll recently ignited a firestorm when she alleged Donald Trump sexually assaulted her more than two decades ago in the mid-1990s.
Her book that details the alleged assault is out Tuesday.
The alleged assault was first reported on June 21 when New York Magazine published an excerpt of her book, "What Do We Need Men For?: A Modest Proposal." The excerpt also includes details of other alleged assaults Carroll says she faced throughout her life.
Carroll's sexual misconduct allegation is not the first such allegation against Trump. But it is the first such allegation to come to light since he took office as president. At least 15 other women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct. The president has denied all allegations.
Trump has likewise denied Carroll's allegation. He has suggested she is lying to sell books and has also said "she's not my type."
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'She's not my type':Trump again denies E. Jean Carroll's sexual misconduct allegation
Here's what you need to know about Carroll and her allegation against Trump:
What she's alleged
While leaving Bergdorf Goodman, a posh Manhattan department store, in either the fall of 1995 or the spring of 1996, Carroll wrote that she encountered Trump. She said she greeted him as "that real-estate tycoon," and he greeted her as "that advice lady."
He told her that he was looking to buy a present for a "girl" and asked for the advice columnist to advise him, she wrote. She pointed out handbags and hats, but Trump pointed out lingerie and asked Carroll to try on a piece, she said. After going into a dressing room, Carroll claimed, Trump forced himself on her.
"The moment the dressing-room door is closed, he lunges at me, pushes me against the wall, hitting my head quite badly, and puts his mouth against my lips," Carroll wrote. "He holds me against the wall with his shoulder and jams his hand under my coat dress and pulls down my tights."
Carroll alleged Trump "opens the overcoat, unzips his pants, and, forcing his fingers around my private area, thrusts his penis halfway – or completely, I’m not certain – inside me." The episode lasted no longer than three minutes, Carroll said. It was the last time she had sex, she wrote.
She said that she only told two people following the alleged incident. Lisa Birnbach and Carol Martin, who were not named in the excerpt, but who have since come forward saying that Carroll told them about the incident when it allegedly happened more than 20 years ago.
Why she came forward
Carroll said that she was prompted by the #MeToo movement, which made her reflect on the "most revolting scoundrels" she had ever met, according to the excerpt.
"As the riotous, sickening stories of #MeToo surged across the country, I, like many women, could not help but be reminded of certain men in my own life," she wrote.
She created a "Most Hideous Men of My Life List," which has 21 names, including Trump.
During an interview with the New York Times, Carroll said she "felt like a fraud" for never speaking up about her alleged assaults, despite repeatedly advising other women over the years to report such allegations.
More:Writer E. Jean Carroll accuses Trump of rape. Why are we so reluctant to talk about it?
Where her politics stand
Carroll, who is a registered Democrat according to the Washington Post, said last week that she will be supporting Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., in the 2020 election.
Warren is one of 24 candidates vying to be the Democratic nominee in 2020 and face-off against Trump as he seeks re-election.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Carroll said Warren is her "candidate."
"She’s brave. She took on Wall Street. She absolutely believes in the middle class. And she has plans for health care, for educating the children," Carroll said.
"She feels their pain and she’s just so bright. She just feels to me unstoppable," she continued. "She’s just the best candidate and the smartest and will do the best for the country. She speaks in complete sentences. She’s like Barack Obama in that way. She’s got a plan."
In 2016, Carroll said she voted for Hillary Clinton, also according to the Washington Post. In the current election cycle, Carroll has donated $1,000 to Emily’s List, the Post reported. In addition, she donated $500 to President Barack Obama's re-election campaign in 2012.
Carroll has been critical of Trump. She told Vanity Fair that she paid $100 to send a plaque to Melania Trump that said “For Idiocies Suffered as a Result of Being Donald Trump’s First Lady.”
However, she said that coming forward publicly with her sexual assault allegation was not for political reasons.
“This is not political,” Carroll told the Post. “Sexual violence is not political.”
Who she is
Carroll was born in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She attended Indiana University. While at the university, she won the Miss Cheerleader USA title in 1964.
For more than twenty years, Carroll has penned an advice column for Elle, entitled "Ask E. Jean."
From 1994 to 1996, Carroll also hosted a talk show on NBC. She created a website based on her column, where users can get instant video replies to their questions.
Carroll has been a contributor to Esquire, Outside, and Playboy magazines.
Carroll was a writer for "Saturday Night Live" in the 1980s.
Contributing: Christal Hayes, William Cummings
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