‘Central Park 5’ sues Trump. But he will never admit that he lied

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Trump’s 1989 print ads baited racists and formed the beginnings of his base. After 67 million viewers of the debate, as he repeated lies about the Exonerated Five, will he finally be held accountable?

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Donald Trump’s notorious inability to admit when he is wrong – even when everyone can clearly see how wrong he is – will now likely cost him a huge sum of money in his next court case.

It should also cost him the support of black and Latino voters.

You may remember the names Antron Brown (formerly known as Antron McCray), Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise under the undeserved nickname that was thrown at black and Latino teenagers 35 years ago – “The Central Park Five.” They now prefer to call themselves the “Exonerated Five” since their convictions for two attacks and a rape in 1989 were overturned in 2002.

On Monday, they sued Trump in federal court in Philadelphia for defamation after he falsely claimed during a debate last month with Vice President Kamala Harris that he had pleaded guilty after being charged with murdering someone. They pleaded not guilty and no one was killed in the attacks that sparked controversy.

New York admitted to its parody treatment of five people who were 14-16 years old at the time of their arrests, paying them $41 million in 2014 to settle their lawsuit. In a statement, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “The city had a moral obligation to correct this injustice.”

Trump could never muster the character necessary to fulfill any moral obligations. It is now and has always been far beyond the reach of his narcissistic, ego-driven personality.

Donald Trump can’t stop accusing the Central Park Five of crimes

Trump, who used the 1989 Central Park attacks to gain attention, took out full-page ads in New York newspapers in the following weeks with the headline “Bring Back the Death Penalty.” As outlined in the complaint filed Monday, Trump has long accused the five men of criminal behavior even after they were acquitted.

Harris mentioned this during a Sept. 10 debate hosted by ABC News during a segment on “race and politics.” her opponent obviously got defensive and then said a lot of things that weren’t true.

“They confessed – they said, they admitted their guilt. And I said, well, if they pleaded guilty, they really hurt the person and ended up killing the person,” Trump lied on the debate stage.

The complaint filed against him on Monday noted that Trump attacked the documentary about the men’s acquittal, meaning he had the facts at his disposal and could have told the truth.

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But that would require Trump admitting he was wrong. He lacks character for that.

Shanin Specter, a lawyer for the five men, said they didn’t bother to give Trump a chance to apologize for what he said during the debate or recant because – given his record since their acquittal – they knew that ” There was no chance that this would happen.”

“He has been resolute on this issue for the last 35 years,” Specter told me. “And he didn’t let the facts influence his narrative.”

Trump called for a response to the lawsuit filed by the lawyer who filed it

The Trump re-election campaign was eager to prove its attorney’s case, responding to the complaint by dismissing it as “another frivolous election interference lawsuit filed by desperate left-wing activists” while attempting to link it to Harris and her campaign.

Specter told me that the complaint, written in a manner that avoided extraneous political language, was about seeking “redress in the courts.”

“It would be nice if Mr. Trump contacted his lawyer and said whether this is true or false,” Specter said.

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Trump has a lot of lawyers and keeps them busy.

Some of them lost the May 2023 civil case in which Trump was held liable for the sexual assault of writer E. Jean Carroll, who was awarded $5 million by a New York jury. Trump’s lawyers also lost another defamation case brought by Carroll against Trump, who was awarded an additional $83 million judgment in January.

So Trump, who the jury found sexually assaulted Carroll, falsely accused the Exonerated Five of sexual assault and other violence for years. He is exactly the type of person he claims to despise.

Will Trump ever be held accountable for this?

Two things can be true at the same time. This lawsuit may not be related to the election. However, this could have consequences as Trump tries to increase his support among Black and Latino voters.

Trump’s appeal to hate in his 1989 print ads always smacked of racism, a subtext to his attention-seeking efforts just below the surface. His public statements were bait for racists, the beginning of his base.

Perhaps it’s finally time to hold him accountable for this, after 67 million debate viewers watched Trump repeat lies about the Exonerated Five.

“It’s devastating for them,” Specter said. “They need to clear their name once again. Now it has been defamed in front of 67 million people. And it never ends.”

Salaam, now 50, is a member of the New York City Council. He came to Philadelphia for last month’s debate and then tried to talk to Trump in a “centrifuge,” asking if he would “apologize to the five acquitted.”

“Ah, you’re on my side then,” Trump replied, in what seemed like the millionth proof that his mind had turned to mush. He then waved and walked away as Salaam repeated his request for an apology.

I hope we get a whole Trump show here – a trial in which an elderly defendant can’t sleep until a jury holds him accountable in the only way that will get his attention: by squeezing money out of him. Trump won’t be able to walk away from this.

Follow USA TODAY election columnist Chris Brennan on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ByChrisBrennan