Donald Trump’s ex-wife, Ivana Trump, came to his defense on Tuesday after The Daily Beast resurfaced a decades-old deposition in which she reportedly accused the billionaire real estate mogul of sexually assaulting her.
The Beast dredged up an account of the deposition that was published in the 1993 book “Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump.” The Beast brought up the incident after the now-presidential candidate made remarks describing Mexican immigrants as “rapists” and drug runners.
According to the book, Ivana said in the deposition that Trump assaulted her during a confrontation in 1989, pulling out her hair and then forcibly penetrating her. Donald Trump denied Ivana’s claims about the assault. And Ivana later gave a statement saying that she “felt violated” but did “not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense,” according to the Daily Beast.
Ivana told ABC News that the Daily Beast report was “without merit.”
“I have recently read some comments attributed to me from nearly 30 years ago at a time of very high tension during my divorce from Donald. The story is totally without merit,” she said in a statement to ABC News. “Donald and I are the best of friends and together have raised 3 children that we love and are very proud of. I have nothing but fondness for Donald and wish him the best of luck on his campaign. Incidentally, I think he would make an incredible president.”
Earlier, Michael Cohen, a special counsel to Trump, defended the mogul and reportedly threatened a Daily Beast reporter. Cohen also claimed that under the law a man cannot rape his wife, according to the Beast.
“You’re talking about the frontrunner for the GOP, presidential candidate, as well as a private individual who never raped anybody. And, of course, understand that by the very definition, you can’t rape your spouse,” Cohen told the Daily Beast. “You cannot rape your spouse. And there’s very clear case law.”
After the Daily Beast published Cohen’s comments along with Ivana’s claims as published in “Lost Tycoon,” the Trump presidential campaign rebutted the report.
Trump’s campaign told ABC’s Santucci that Cohen did not speak for Trump.
Response from Trump campaign / re: @thedailybeast piece tonight on rape comment – “it is old news and it never happened”
— John Santucci (@JTSantucci) July 28, 2015
.@realDonaldTrump campaign: “Nobody speaks for Mr. Trump, but Mr. Trump” distancing comments made by counsel “you cannot rape your spouse.”
— John Santucci (@JTSantucci) July 28, 2015
Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, also told CNN that Donald Trump has not been aware of Cohen’s statements to the Daily Beast.
“Mr. Trump didn’t know of his comments but disagrees with them,” Lewandowski said.
