E. Jean Carroll’s confidants who were told of alleged Trump sexual assault go public

The two women who E. Jean Carroll confided in about her alleged 1990s sexual assault by President Trump came forward Thursday to share their stories.

Author Lisa Birnbach and former WCBS-TV news anchor Carol Martin told The New York Times’ “The Daily” podcast they gave Ms. Carroll different advice on how to proceed after she accused Mr. Trump of raping her in a Bergdorf dressing room decades ago, which the president has denied.

Ms. Birnbach said she told Ms. Carroll to go to the police with her story. 

“Honestly, you did say he put his penis in me, and I said — my face just did it — ’What? He raped you?’ It was horrible, we fought. I said, ’Let’s go to the police.’ ’No.’ ’Come to my house.’ ’No, I want to go home.’ ’I’ll take you to the police.’ ’No. It was 15 minutes of my life, it’s over. Don’t ever tell anybody, I just had to tell you,’ ” Ms. Birnbach said.

Ms. Martin had the opposite opinion, telling her Mr. Trump had too many powerful attorneys and she would be ruined if she let her story go public.

“I said: Don’t tell anybody. I wouldn’t tell anybody this,” Ms. Martin said.

Mr. Trump claimed the story is a publicity stunt to help Ms. Carroll sell her book “What Do We Need Men For?” and clarified that the writer is not “her type.”