Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Donald Trump's lawyer claims you can't rape your spouse after Ivana Trump historic 'rape' allegations resurface

In New York, the marital rape exemption law was struck down in 1984.

Chris Mandle
Wednesday 29 July 2015 04:41 EDT
Comments
Donald Trump
Donald Trump (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Donald Trump has a history of making controversial remarks about sexual assault, but now one of his lawyers has put his foot in it, too.

Michael Cohen, special counsel at The Trump Organisation, was contacted for comment by The Daily Beast, who were looking into comments made by Trump’s ex-wife Ivana while they were married.

She had used the word ‘rape’ to describe an incident between the pair and had said she felt ‘violated’ during sex.

She did add that she did not want her words "to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense". Trump has consistently denied the allegations.

After admitting he hadn’t actually read the full deposition, Cohen's statement did little to settle the matter.

“You’re talking about the front-runner for the GOP, presidential candidate, as well as private individual who never raped anybody. And, of course, understand that by the very definition, you can’t rape your spouse.

“It is true. You cannot rape your spouse. And there’s very clear case law.”

In New York, the marital rape exemption law was struck down in 1984.

The allegations from Trump’s ex-wife first appeared in the 1993 book Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J Trump, written by former Texas Monthly and Newsweek reporter Harry Hurt III.

Trump has denied many of the allegations in the book, including one violent argument he had with his ex-wife following scalp-reduction surgery.

"It's incorrect and done by a guy without much talent... he is a guy that is an unattractive guy who is a vindictive and jealous person," he told Newsday at the time.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in