Journalist E. Jean Carroll reacted to George Stephanopoulos' contentious interview on Sunday with Representative Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, when the two discussed Carroll's civil defamation trial against Donald Trump.
Mace, who is a rape survivor, became outraged on Sunday when Stephanopoulos asked her on ABC News' This Week about her endorsement of the former president.
Trump, the likely GOP nominee in the 2024 presidential race, was ordered in January to pay $83.3 million to Carroll, a former Elle columnist, for damaging her reputation after she accused him of sexually assaulting her during an incident in the 1990s. A separate jury last year awarded Carroll $5 million from Trump for sexual abuse and defamation. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in those cases and vowed to appeal them.
"You've endorsed Donald Trump for president. Donald Trump has been found liable for rape by a jury. Donald Trump has been found liable for defaming the victim of that rape by a jury. It's been affirmed by a judge," Stephanopoulos said to Mace.
While the jury did find the former president liable for sexual abuse, they did not find him liable for rape.
"It was not a criminal court case, number one," Mace said. "Number two, I live with shame. And you're asking me a question about my political choices, trying to shame me as a rape victim and I find it disgusting."
The congresswoman added: "And quite frankly, E. Jean Carroll's comments when she did get the judgment, joking about what she was gonna buy—it makes it harder for women to come forward, when they make a mockery out of rape, when they joke about it."
Stephanopoulos then asked: "Doesn't it make it harder for women to come forward when they are defamed by presidential candidates?"
At the end of the interview, Mace said that Stephanopoulos was being "offensive." The ABC host then replied, "We'll let the viewers decide about that."
Responding to the heated exchange between Mace and Stephanopoulos, Carroll wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday: "Thank you, @GStephanopoulos for valiantly defending me. I wish Representative @RepNancyMace well. And I salute all survivors for their strength, endurance, and holding on to their sanity."
Newsweek reached out to Mace's reelection campaign and a representative for Carroll's lawyer via email for comment.
Jennifer Simmons Kaleba, Vice President of Communications for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) told Newsweek via email on Sunday: "We are grateful that survivors who are public figures like Congresswoman Mace continue to speak out about their own experiences with sexual violence.
"Their experience will be held up against many aspects of their life for comparison, and that's not an easy journey."
Following the interview, Mace posted on X on Sunday: "I was brought on to talk about 2024...instead Clinton crony turned fake journalist @Gstephanopoulos attacked me and tried to shame me as a rape victim. Gross."
It took Mace 25 years to come forward after she was raped at the age of 16. She told her story in April 2019 on the South Carolina House floor when she was a state representative. She was driven to tell her story in response to an anti-abortion bill that had no exceptions for rape or incest that was being debated in her state's legislature at the time.
Meanwhile, Mace and Trump have had a rocky relationship with the GOP lawmaker speaking out against his actions surrounding the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, but have since mended fences. She is now a staunch supporter of the former president and Trump recently endorsed Mace in her reelection campaign in South Carolina's 1st Congressional District.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, you are not alone. RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support for survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and RAINN.org/es.
Update 3/10/24, 8:02 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from RAINN.
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