According to the New York Times, former President Donald Trump has conditionally agreed to provide a sample of his DNA to prosecutors in the sexual assault case that he is facing.
This is the case that involves former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll. Carroll accuses Trump of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room back in the 1990s. Trump denies this.
Carroll has been allowed to bring this lawsuit, despite the incident happening many decades ago, under New York's Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily lifts the statute of limitations for sexual assault claims.
Carroll has also brought a lawsuit against Trump for defamation. This came after Trump denied the sexual assault allegation and described Carroll as "not my type."
In the sexual assault case, Trump has agreed to provide prosecutors with a sample of his DNA.
Joseph Tacopina, Trump's lawyer, told U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan that Trump "is indeed willing to provide a DNA sample for the sole purpose of comparing it to the DNA found on the dress at issue." But, Tacopina said that Trump would only do so on one condition, namely, the prompt production of "missing pages of a DNA report."
Tacopina maintains that Carroll's legal team has refused to hand over 12 pages of a 37-page DNA report compiled by a crime lab at Carroll's request. The report, thus far, shows that DNA from several individuals was found on a coat dress that she kept after the alleged incident in Bergdorf Goodman.
Tacopina says that Carroll, due to this DNA test, already knew that Trump was not one of these several individuals.
Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, has denied Trump's conditional agreement to provide his DNA.
Kaplan claims that "there is no DNA evidence in this case" and that none would be introduced as evidence at trial. Accordingly, Kaplan accused Trump of using "another bad faith and legally frivolous delay tactic."
Trump's legal team denies this, insisting that they would not use the situation to try to get the date for the trial postponed.
Reports indicate that Trump is planning to testify in the defamation case. He has placed himself on the witness list.
It is also possible that Carroll, herself, will testify, although, at the moment, it appears that Carroll and her legal team are still contemplating whether or not to do so.
The trial is currently set to begin in April.
