E. Jean Carroll Says She's Now 'Exploring' Legal Action

When E. Jean Carroll went public with her allegations against the president in June, she said she wouldn't be taking legal action and shared her thinking: "I would find it disrespectful to the women who are down on the border who are being raped around the clock down there without any protection," she said on MSNBC. Now, a possible about-face. Carroll told the Daily Beast on Monday that "people" are advising her to press charges, and she's considering doing so. "If I get a really smart attorney, we might be able to get around [the statute]. I'll be exploring it."

She alleges the sexual assault happened 23 years ago, well before 2006, when New York did away with its statute of limitations against first-degree rape; as such, the five-year limit applies, reports New York magazine. It flags a Mother Jones article from June that looked at difficulties in pursuing a case beyond just the timing element, among them the fact that there are apparently no witnesses to the alleged crime. (More E. Jean Carroll stories.)