NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals panel wants to know why lawyers for former President Donald Trump didn’t try years ago to use a claim of absolute presidential immunity to shield him from a defamation lawsuit by a woman who accused him of sexual assault. He also insisted that absolute presidential immunity was a protection that cannot be surrendered by Trump or any other president. Kahn asked Madaio later in the arguments why absolute presidential immunity was not asserted sooner. In the spring, a Manhattan federal court jury found that Trump sexually abused Carroll, but it rejected her claim that he raped her. Trump is the early front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

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Persons: Donald Trump didn’t, Trump, E, Jean Carroll, Carroll, Maria Araujo Kahn, Denny Chin, Michael Madaio, Judge Lewis A, Kaplan, ” Kaplan, Chin, Judge Kaplan, it’s, ” Madaio, Kahn, Madaio Organizations: —, U.S, Circuit, Trump Locations: Manhattan, New York