Letter to the Editor: A response to Randall Hanson's letter

(Note: The following Letter to the Editor from Karl Knudson of Decorah was submitted before our 4:00 p.m. Friday deadline and in response to a previous Letter to the Editor from Randall Hanson of Rdigeway http://www.decorahnews.com/news-stories/2016/11/14979.html):

In a recent Letter to the Editor, Randall Hanson states of Donald Trump:  "He has been accused of raping a 13-year-old and his court date has been set." 

I am an attorney and I have examined the pleadings which raised these rape allegations against Trump.  The case brought against Trump is a civil case, not a criminal case, meaning that no prosecutor, law enforcement official nor court has ever reviewed the allegations and found probable cause to believe criminal activity occurred.  The allegations go back 22 years.  The lawsuit was filed, dismissed, filed, dismissed, filed, and as of November 4th was dismissed a third time.  Here follows the history of this case:

Between 2001 and 2003, Bill Clinton took 20 trips on billionaire Jeffrey Epstein's private jet to destinations in Asia, Europe, and Africa.  Epstein became the subject of a federal investigation in which it was alleged that he owned a small island in the Virgin Islands nicknamed "Orgy Island" where he made underage girls available to entertain guests, and that his private jet was outfitted with a bed for like purpose.  In 2007, after a federal investigation of these activities, Epstein entered a plea deal in the U.S. District Court in Southern Florida under which he was required to serve an 18-month sentence, and to register as a sex offender.

In January of 2015, Gawker examined official FAA flight logs, and noted that Bill Clinton was a frequent flyer on Epstein's "Lolita Express."  (Donald Trump does not appear in any of Epstein's flight logs.)

On April 19, 2016, Donald Trump swept the New York primary, making his nomination all but certain.  Seven days later, "Katie Johnson" filed a civil complaint in a California federal court alleging that Trump and Epstein had raped her 22 years earlier. Trump immediately denied the allegations.  Katie Johnson dismissed her California complaint before Trump could take discovery. 

On June 20, 2016, a complaint was filed in a federal court in New York by "Jane Doe" making the same allegations. (Jane Doe was the same person as Katie Johnson.)  In addition to alleging that Trump had raped her 22 years earlier, the new Complaint also alleged that when Trump had publicly denied the allegations contained in her April 26, 2016 complaint, he had defamed her by issuing the denial.

Jane Doe dismissed her June 20, 2016 complaint without prejudice on September 16, 2016, before Trump could depose her.

On September 30, 2016, "Jane Doe" filed a new complaint in the federal court in New York, her third.  An "Order for Initial Conference" was then scheduled for December 9, 2016.  However, on November 4th, 2016, attorney Lisa Bloom (daughter of attorney Gloria Allred) tweeted out:  "Jane Doe instructed us to dismiss her lawsuit against Trump and Epstein today."   Jane Doe's rape allegation has never been substantiated in any way, and has now been dismissed three times, after having caused political damage.

To be true, Trump showed a boorish side of his personality with the release of the "Hollywood Access" tape in early October when he said, "When you're a star, they let you do it."  However, when he emerged from the movie trailer, he stood his distance and merely shook the hand of the actress he was sent to meet.  He finally gave her an "air kiss" after further prompting by host Billy Bush.  He did not kiss or grope her, indicating that his conversation inside the trailer was neither serious nor proof that he really behaved in the manner he had jokingly described.  Nevertheless, the release of the video was immediately followed by multiple complaints of personal misconduct which nearly derailed the Trump campaign. 

At age 70, Donald Trump had never been accused of sexual assault until his nomination was secured.  Given the timing of the allegations against him, one has to wonder whether some or all of these complaints were politically motivated.  Such allegations are easily made because they are often impossible to prove or disprove.    

Weighed against Trump's minor imperfections and his unproven misdemeanors are Hillary and Bill Clinton's use of the Clinton Foundation and their sale of influence to enrich themselves with a quarter billion dollars; Hillary's decision to use an insecure private email server to conduct all of her state department business, a decision which almost certainly exposed national security secrets to foreign hackers; her destruction of subpoenaed emails in an obvious effort to obstruct justice; and her repeated lies to the Congress, the FBI, and the American people.  Project Veritas undercover videos and Wikileaks also document that the Clinton organization has run a two-faced dirty tricks campaign, has coordinated with a group to hire provocateurs to disrupt Trump rallies, and has discussed how best to transport illegal voters across state lines to swing state polling places.  Hillary Clinton would be the first President ever elected while under an active FBI investigation.  Her election would guarantee a constitutional crisis."