Epstein Files Drop and Congress Clash, Green Bank Collapse Leads to NBA Questions: AM Update 9⧸4
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Summary
Epstein files not quelling any of the drama on Capitol Hill around the disgraced financier, as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle hold a press conference featuring alleged survivors of Jeffrey Epstein s abuse. The latest dump of 33,000+ documents from the House Oversight Committee, largely containing already public information, billed as the beginning of its larger push for transparency, adds detail around Epstein s lifestyle.
Transcript
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Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Thursday, September 4th, 2025. And this is your
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AM update. They're allowing the DOJ to curate all of the information that the DOJ is giving them.
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It does not adequately protect the innocent victim. The Jeffrey Epstein saga rolls onward
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with factions in Congress fighting over how to get to the bottom of the case. Did you ever see
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proof of Kawhi Leonard marketing or endorsing aspiration in any way? Never not once. Has
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the collapse of a green energy company beloved by celebrities exposed a major scandal in the NBA?
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And President Trump's legal team signaling the fight against E. Jean Carroll is not over.
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All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update.
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Epstein files not quelling any of the drama on Capitol Hill around the disgraced financier as
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lawmakers from both sides of the aisle hold a press conference featuring alleged survivors of Jeffrey
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Epstein's abuse. The latest dump of 33,000 plus documents from the House Oversight Committee,
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largely containing already public information billed by the committee as just the start of its larger
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push for transparency. Some new material adding detail around Epstein's lifestyle. The files including
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an audio recording of one former Epstein employee telling law enforcement, quote, there were a lot of
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girls that were very, very young at the home. That employee saying he could not tell for sure
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whether they were underage, but more than a dozen girls might visit the home during Epstein's visits
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where he received massages twice daily. One video file drawing scrutiny, not because of what it
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contains, but for the question it raises about earlier comments made by Attorney General Pam Bondi.
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The document dump containing the missing minute before midnight from footage inside the prison where
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Epstein died. The footage itself is unremarkable, not appearing to show anything obviously damning,
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but its existence undercuts claims made by the Attorney General about why the gap in the Epstein jail
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tape existed at all. Back in July, the DOJ releasing 11 hours of surveillance footage, officials claiming it
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would end all doubts about what happened that fateful night. Instead, it raised new ones. Many quickly
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noting a full minute of the video from 11-58-59 on August 9th, 2019 to midnight was missing. Digital
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forensics experts analyzing the clip found the supposedly unedited file containing two videos edited
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into one, fueling even more accusations of a cover-up. Attorney General Pam Bondi at the time
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waving away those concerns. The minute missing from the video, we released the video showing
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definitively the video was not conclusive, but the evidence prior to it was showing he committed suicide.
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And what was on that, there was a minute that was off the counter. And what we learned from Bureau of
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Prisons was every year, every night, they redo that video. It's old from like 1999. So every night,
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the video is reset. And every night should have the same minute missing. So we're looking for that
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video to release that as well, showing that a minute is missing every night. As the minute of tape was not
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missing in the DOJ's release because it did not exist due to the video being reset, it actually did exist.
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We can see it now, and we have no idea why it was not included to begin with. President Trump
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expressing multiple times the desire to move on entirely from the Epstein saga, calling it a
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Democrat hoax, regardless to factions of Congress forging ahead on the hunt for more disclosures.
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In a symbolic move on Wednesday, the House voting to formally approve the Oversight Committee's
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investigation. That vote, likely an effort to stop the momentum generated by Republican
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Congressman from Kentucky, Thomas Massey, and Democrat from California, Ro Khanna, to force
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a vote compelling the DOJ to release virtually all Epstein-related files. Their petition requires
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218 signatures to bring the bill for a vote. All 212 Democrats are expected to endorse, and three
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GOP lawmakers, in addition to Massey, have already signed on. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia,
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Lauren Boebert of Colorado, and Nancy Mace of South Carolina, leaving just two more signatures
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needed. Massey and Khanna holding a press conference on the steps of Congress yesterday morning,
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featuring some alleged survivors of Epstein's abuse, sharing their stories and calling on lawmakers
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He was too powerful. I was just one of the many young women trapped in his orbit. I was even taken on a
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trip to Africa with former President Bill Clinton and other notable figures. In those moments, I realized
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how powerless I was. In the year 2000, I was taken to Jeffrey Epstein's island, who I saw and what I
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experienced there was a glimpse into a very dark and disturbing world. I want to help create a world
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where survivors of sexual abuse and abuse of power can come forward safely. And I ask Congress to join me
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in that effort. Many of these women's claims have not been adjudicated in a court of law, though one alleged
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victim saying the survivors are considering releasing their own list of powerful people they say were
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involved in their abuse. For the many Democrats and members of the media hoping to learn unflattering
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information about President Trump, a panel of alleged victims told NBC on Tuesday, don't bet on it.
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I do have to ask, and I know, and it's just something that I think we're compelled to at this moment, with the
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attention on President Trump, with these questions around a pardon. Did anybody see or hear of the
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president himself doing anything inappropriate as it related to Jeffrey Epstein? No. No.
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Congressman Massey contending the petition is necessary because the House Oversight investigation
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will not produce true transparency. They're allowing the DOJ to curate all of the information that the
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DOJ is giving them. If you've looked at the pages they've released so far, they're heavily redacted.
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Some pages are entirely redacted. And 97% of this is already in the public domain. So I'm calling on my
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colleagues. Be one of the next two who sponsors this discharge petition.
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Speaker Johnson, in turn, calling Massey's petition reckless.
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It was inartfully drafted. It does not adequately protect the innocent victims, and that is a critical
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component of this. The vast majority of ladies and women and young women who are subjected to these
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unspeakable crimes, I mean unspeakable crimes, have chosen not to come forward for obvious reasons.
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So we've got to, we have to very carefully guard their identities. We cannot be haphazard about this.
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Coming up, another green energy bank goes belly up after its founder admits to fraud.
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How the company's collapse is now a major headache for an NBA superstar. And President Trump's legal
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team signals its fight against writer E. Jean Carroll is not over.
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If a green energy carbon credit tree brokerage files for bankruptcy, can it take down the NBA's
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Los Angeles Clippers? We may be about to find out. On Wednesday, sports writer and podcaster Pablo
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Torre dropping a bombshell report alleging the Clippers circumvented the NBA's salary cap rules
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with star player Kawhi Leonard, paying him millions more than the league permits through a so-called
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sustainability company, Aspiration. Rather than a legitimate endorsement deal, the Clippers are
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alleged to have used Aspiration to pay Kawhi a higher salary without impacting limits on player salaries
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in the league's collective bargaining agreement. Kawhi allegedly did nothing for the money.
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Founded in 2013 as a green bank, Aspiration allows elite liberals a way to launder their guilt,
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buying carbon credits, and allegedly planting trees to offset the sinful emissions generated by
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their fancy private jets, lavish yachts, and multiple homes. Rapper Drake, fawning to Rolling Stone in
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2021, quote, Aspiration's approach to climate change is really inspiring, and I hope together we can help
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motivate and create awareness. Leonardo DiCaprio joining the Board of Advisors after investing in 2019,
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releasing this statement, quote, Each year, $100 billion worth of pipelines, drilling, and other fossil
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fuel extraction projects are funded with money deposited at traditional banks. To bring about long-term
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solutions for our planet, we need alternatives that empower everyday consumers to take action against
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climate change. Robert Downey Jr., directing and starring in this 2021 commercial.
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What should we aspire to? Give business to companies that have a plan for the planet our children will inherit.
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The last thing we need is another credit card. Realistically, we need a million magic wands,
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offsetting our daily carbon footprint with everyday purchases, automatically impacting our environmental
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future. They found a way to do it. Therefore, it's a company I support. Critics have long maintained the
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whole carbon credit cure is a scam many of these companies have gone under. At its peak in 2021,
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Aspiration, reaching a $2.3 billion valuation, collapsing just a few years later. So how does the NBA come
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into it? The LA Clippers, owned by Steve Ballmer, whose net worth is above $110 billion, according to
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Forbes, invested $50 million into Aspiration. Weeks later, the Clippers announced Aspiration as their
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team sponsor in a 23-year, $300 million deal. Very chummy. The company filed for bankruptcy protection
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in March after its co-founder, Joe Sandberg, was arrested on wire fraud charges. Never good.
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Last month, Sandberg pleading guilty to defrauding investors of $248 million. Whenever a company files
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for bankruptcy, all of its ugly finance decisions come out. Now, back to Pablo Torre.
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What David's looking at with his glasses on is a bankruptcy filing, and there's a list of
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creditors. The entities to which Aspiration, in all of their alleged fraudulence, still owes the
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most money. And what I noticed is what David is noticing right now, which is that on that list
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of creditors, up near the top, above the Boston Red Sox, is an LLC. A tiny little company that Aspiration
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owes $7 million. And that LLC's name, David, is what? A KL2 Aspire LLC. And what does it list there
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under manager or member name? Kawhi Leonard. Whose NBA jersey number, just to connect all of the dots
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here, happens to be what? Number two. Unlike the other stars tied to Aspiration who went out of their
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way to make their connection known, Torrey was unable to find any tweet, post, or public comment
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by Kawhi Leonard about Aspiration. Torrey did obtain a financial agreement between Kawhi and Aspiration,
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revealing Kawhi's LLC was to be paid a total of $28 million over four years by Aspiration, from 2022
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through 2025. What was Kawhi supposed to do for that money, ostensibly? Organic marketing,
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allegedly, whatever that means. According to Torrey, Aspiration had the right to terminate the
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agreement if Kawhi no longer played for the Clippers. In early 2024, Kawhi signing a three-year
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contract extension with the basketball team worth around $150 million. Torrey spoke to a former
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employee from Aspiration's finance department appearing in silhouette with a digitally altered
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voice making this explosive claim. I was told like, oh, these are the major contracts and the
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major players you really need to be aware of. And we went through a litany of, you know, really,
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really top-tier name contracts. And then, oh, by the way, we also have a marketing deal with Kawhi
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Leonard, a $28 million organic marketing sponsorship deal with Kawhi. And that if I had
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any questions about it, essentially don't because it was to circumvent the salary cap, LOL. There was
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lots of LOL when things were shared. Did you ever see proof of Kawhi Leonard marketing or endorsing
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Aspiration in any way? Never, not once. The single largest payment to an individual for marketing
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that Aspiration ever made has completely evaded all press. The Clippers releasing a statement in
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response to the Torrey report, quote, neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap
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or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration. Any contrary assertion is provably false. The team
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and Mr. Ballmer stand ready to assist law enforcement in any way they can. The NBA on Wednesday telling ESPN,
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end quote, we are aware of this morning's media report regarding the LA Clippers and are commencing an
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investigation. The penalty for illegally circumventing the salary cap can include fines, loss of draft
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picks, suspensions, and voided contracts. President Trump's lawyers asking the Supreme Court to extend
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the deadline for him to challenge the $5 million verdict won by writer E. Jean Carroll in a civil suit,
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finding Mr. Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation. The current deadline is September
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11th. Mr. Trump's team requesting an extension to November 10th, signaling they do intend to continue
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challenging the verdict. This filing relates to lawsuits filed by E. Jean Carroll against Donald
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Trump. In 2019, Carroll alleging in a New York magazine excerpt from her memoir that Mr. Trump raped her
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in a Bergdorf-Goodman dressing room sometime around 1995 or 1996, she can't exactly remember.
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Carroll did not go to the police, nor did she speak out publicly about the alleged incident until
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President Trump was preparing to run for office again, when Carroll had a new book to promote.
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President Trump publicly denied the allegations, prompting Carroll to sue him for defamation in 2019.
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That case was put on hold because he was the sitting president. In November 2022, Carroll filed a second
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lawsuit, this time alleging both defamation and sexual assault. This case, though brought second,
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made it to trial first. The sexual assault claim would have been way past its statute of limitations,
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but was newly viable thanks to New York's Adult Survivors Act, a law that created a one-year
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look-back period for victims of alleged sexual offenses to file civil suits against offenders.
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The law was passed in 2022 after Carroll's sexual assault allegations against Donald Trump went public.
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In May 2023, a jury finding Mr. Trump liable for defamation and sexual abuse, rejecting, though,
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the rape allegation. Mr. Trump was ordered to pay $5 million to E. Jean Carroll. Eventually, Carroll's
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first case, the one for just defamation, did make it to trial. The jury, presuming Trump's liability for
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defamation there, given the earlier verdict finding his denials, did defame E. Jean Carroll, only deciding
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instead the amount of money she would get. They ultimately awarded Carroll $83 million. That money
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currently held in a court-controlled account until both cases are done playing out in court. In December,
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a three-judge panel on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals rejecting Trump's appeal of Carroll's
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defamation verdict, which called into question not only the $5 million she was awarded, but also the
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validity of the $83 million verdict as well. In June, the court rejecting a full panel review. Now it appears
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Mr. Trump will seek a review in the U.S. Supreme Court, though it is unclear how long it will take the
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high court to decide whether it will hear his case. And that'll do it for your AM Update. I'm Megan
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Kelly. Join me back here for The Megan Kelly Show, live on SiriusXM Triumph Channel 111 at noon east,
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on youtube.com slash megankelly, and on all podcast platforms.