Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll seeks his DNA to prove he raped her in the '90s. Will he comply?

Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault

Last year, advice columnist E. Jean Carroll came forward to accuse United States President Donald Trump of sexual assault. Though she was not the first to do, she is one of the few women continuing an investigation into her accusation. Now, she and her lawyers are asking the President for a sample of his DNA. She alleges that DNA found on the dress she was wearing the night it happened could prove, without a shred of doubt, that Trump did, in fact, sexually assault her. The question that remains, however, is whether the President will comply, The Huffington Post reports.

The incident took place in the 1990s. On the day the assault occurred, Carroll was wearing a black wool coat-style dress which she has preserved ever since. This is the same infamous dress she wore on the cover of the June-July 2019 edition of New York Magazine. After President Trump denied her allegation once she filed a defamation suit against him in November last year, her lawyer Roberta Kaplan had the coat tested. As per a lab report, DNA found on the sleeves of the dress was a combination of at least four people. At least one of these people, the report shows, is male.

Numerous other individuals who could have been possible contributors to the mix have been tested and eliminated according to the lab report. Their names have been redacted to protect their identities. A legal notice has thus been filed, asking the President to submit a sample of his saliva by March 2 of this year in Washington for "analysis and comparison against unidentified male DNA present on the dress." The lab report was attached to the notice. At present, it remains unclear whether Trump will comply with the notice. While it is legally valid, such notices can be taken to court, wherein a judge can decide whether they should be enforced.

Carroll affirmed in a statement published on Thursday, "Unidentified male DNA on the dress could prove that Donald Trump not only knows who I am, but also that he violently assaulted me in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman and then defamed me by lying about it and impugning my character." Attorney Kaplan added that it was nothing but "standard operating procedure" in a sexual assault investigation to request a DNA sample from the accused. The lawyer stated, "As a result, we’ve requested a simple saliva sample from Mr. Trump to test his DNA, and there really is no valid basis for him to object." President Trump is yet to respond to the legal notice. Should he choose non-compliance, could that prove pseudo-admission of guilt?