Donald Trump is currently facing scrutiny in court for purportedly misrepresenting facts during the conclusion of the last presidential debate — focusing not on politics or Kamala Harris, but concerning the “Central Park Five.”
The five men who were falsely implicated in a series of brutal assaults in Central Park back in 1989 have expressed concerns about Trumps comments made on September 10 in Philadelphia during the debate against Harris.
ABC
Remember, during the debate, Harris highlighted Trump’s previous demand for the death penalty for the Central Park Five, a stance he took in a full-page advertisement appearing in various newspapers, including the New York Times, after their arrests in ’89.
In response to Harris, Trump justified his advertisement by claiming, “They confessed — they stated they pled guilty. So I reasoned, well, if they pleaded guilty, they must have seriously harmed someone, ultimately leading to death.”
The five individuals have raised several objections regarding Trump’s statements. Their federal lawsuit underlines that no one was killed in the incidents — more critically, they never admitted guilt regarding the crimes. Actually, they proclaimed their innocence and were eventually fully vindicated.
Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown, and Korey Wise — who are now frequently referred to as the “Exonerated Five” — are pursuing a defamation lawsuit against Trump for intentional infliction of emotional distress, with the aim of obtaining compensatory and punitive damages.