NEW YORK - Lawyers for former President Donald Trump appeared before a federal appeals court Friday to argue that the U.S.
government should take his place as the defendant in a defamation lawsuit filed by a writer who accused him of rape.Donald Trump (White House photo) The Republican's attorneys told the judges he isn't trying to dodge personal liability in the lawsuit by the columnist E.
Jean Carroll. He just wants to keep future presidents from being burdened by legal claims, they said."This is not political.
This is not about being a Democrat or a Republican. It is solely to protect the presidency as an institution," attorney Alina Habba said.Carroll sued Trump in 2019, saying he slandered her by denying her allegation that he raped.