New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may be facing potential legal trouble after a social media post that some argue could amount to defamation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the post, Ocasio-Cortez referred to President Donald Trump as a \u201crapist,\u201d implying that the president was the reason behind the administration\u2019s decision not to release the Epstein files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWow who would have thought that electing a rapist would have complicated the release of the Epstein Files,\u201d the New York Democrat wrote on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AOC was likely referring to Trump\u2019s case with former Elle Magazine advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, who won a settlement against him after a federal jury found him liable for sexual assault against her in the 1990s. The same jury, however, did not find Trump guilty of rape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Users on the platform immediately pointed that out and mentioned the potential legal consequences of making such a false claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also Read : Feds Probe AOC For Employing Illegal Alien, Helping Migrants Evade ICE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee noted the problematic nature of this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEven under the ridiculously lenient standards of NY Times v. Sullivan, you\u2019ve managed to incur defamation liability. Wow,\u201d Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) wrote on X<\/a>, referring to the landmark 1964 Supreme Court libel case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n New York Times v. Sullivan is a landmark 1964 Supreme Court decision that is intended to serve as a guidepost for libel lawsuits. It sets an extraordinarily high standard: not only must the material be false or defamatory, but it must also be made with \u201cactual malice\u201d \u2013 either by presenting false information owing to a proven animus toward the target or with reckless disregard for the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Others made similar comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVery weird that none of those allegations came out until he was running for president. Also, I\u2019m pretty sure this is libel and an easily winnable case at that,\u201d one user wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGiven that other more high-profile commentators than you have called him that, and then been successfully sued, I think you\u2019re in some difficulty here,\u201d another added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also Read : AOC\u2019s Constituents Complain About Absent \u2018Rock Star\u2019 Who\u2019s \u2018Done Nothing\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDonald Trump has not been criminally convicted of rape. As a congress woman, with such broad reach, you should be aware of this and act and speak appropriately. This is defamation,\u201d wrote another X user.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGeorge Stephanopoulos might advise you to take down this tweet,\u201d another person posted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump filed a lawsuit against Stephanopoulos and ABC last year after the This Week host claimed during an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) that Trump had been \u201cfound liable for rape.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In December, ABC and George Stephanopoulos agreed to pay<\/a> $15 million to Trump\u2019s presidential library foundation, along with an additional $1 million in legal fees, as part of a settlement. The network also issued a public apology for the misstatement, The Post noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n