New York, United States

Former United States president Donald Trump's infamous tape boasting about his sexual aggression toward women will be permitted at the forthcoming civil trial in New York. A federal judge ruled that the tape can be used by columnist E Jean Carroll in her lawsuit accusing Trump of rape. The tape, which came to light in 2016, caught Trump in conversation with Billy Bush, an Access Hollywood TV show personality. In it, the businessman, in a very graphic manner, boasts about how celebrities like him can grope women without waiting for consent.

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Judge Lewis Kaplan in his order wrote, "In this case, a jury reasonably could find, even from the Access Hollywood tape alone, that Mr Trump admitted in the Access Hollywood tape that he in fact has had contact with women’s genitalia in the past without their consent, or that he has attempted to do so."

The trial in question is scheduled to begin next month. However, it is yet to be specified whether it includes Carroll's defamation claims or will only be about the rape accusations she formally made against Trump. 

She made these accusations in November after New York state temporarily changed laws to let adult rape victims sue their abusers over decades-old abuse.

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Apart from the tape, the judge said he will also allow jurors to hear statements from two other women who have accused the businessman of sexual misconduct.

In the tape, Trump said that sometimes when he sees beautiful women: "I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait."

He further added, "When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything … grab them by the p***y." The last part of this particular sentence soon went viral, and later Trump had to offer a public apology. He then termed these comments as "locker room banter".

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(With inputs from agencies)

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