A judge claims that former President Donald Trump raped E. Jean Carroll despite only being found liable for sexual assault.

The volatile words emerged as Trump's lawyers have sought to reduce the jury's $5 million in damages to $2 million.

Donald Trump raped E. Jean Carroll even though he was found liable only for 'sexual abuse,' judge rules https://t.co/dAMnz8RgsA

— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) July 20, 2023

The claim

"In an opinion issued on Wednesday, US District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who presided over the trial, wrote that the trial evidence demonstrated Trump 'raped' Carroll in the plain sense of the word," Business Insider reported.

"The finding that Ms. Carroll failed to prove that she was 'raped' within the meaning of the New York Penal Law does not mean that she failed to prove that Mr. Trump 'raped' her as many people commonly understand the word 'rape,'" Kaplan wrote in the report. "Indeed, as the evidence at trial recounted below makes clear, the jury found that Mr. Trump in fact did exactly that."

BREAKING: Judge Rejects Trump’s Bid to Toss Verdict in E. Jean Carroll Civil Suit, Says Jury Found Trump Raped Her By Definition pic.twitter.com/QHeUmWTtNJ

— PoliticsVerse 🇺🇸 (@PoliticsVerse_) July 19, 2023

The details

"The jury’s unanimous verdict in Carroll II was almost entirely in favor of Ms. Carroll," the ruling explained.

"The only point on which Ms. Carroll did not prevail was whether she had proved that Mr. Trump had 'raped' her within the narrow, technical meaning of a particular section of the New York Penal Law – a section that provides that the label “rape” as used in criminal prosecutions in New York applies only to vaginal penetration by a penis," it added.

This is all surrounding a case where E. Jean Carroll admitted live on CNN that a rape never happened and that “this was not sexual.” https://t.co/Nq3Xdi5Jao

— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) July 19, 2023

Trump sues Carroll

Trump has also filed his own lawsuit against Carroll over her claims.

“Trump filed the counterclaim on Tuesday that alleged that Carroll defamed him when she accused him of raping her during an appearance on CNN on May 10, which is just a day after a nine-member jury found that Trump did not commit rape," the Hill reported.

"According to the counterclaim, Trump alleged that Carroll defamed him when she said, ‘oh yes he did, oh yes he did,’ in response to an interview question on CNN asking for her thoughts on the jury’s ruling that Trump was not liable for rape,” it added.

The ongoing case could add to other legal concerns facing the former president as he seeks a comeback bid for the White House in 2024.

So far, the challenges have not stopped his lead in polls that show Trump as the clear leader among Republicans to face President Joe Biden next year.