[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Why is Donald Trump trying so hard to brush off, ignore, or bury the Epstein files? If he really was just friends with Jeffrey Epstein many years ago and had no idea the kind of horrible things he was up to, why not say so? Why deny everything now, even friendly notes? If he has nothing to hide, why not do a release of everything possible in the government’s files? If Trump isn’t in those files, why did he choose to betray what his MAGA base wanted and tell them he didn’t want their support if they kept pushing for transparency?
We’ve already seen some pretty firm reporting that the President’s name is in the files. But more than that, Trump’s reaction to being pressed on Epstein has come across like a guy wearing a big “guilty” sign. Trump is acting like someone who doesn’t ever want anyone to see what’s in those files. Which means we may not, no matter what Congress votes or the courts demand.
Sadly the answer may be exactly what it seems like. It may just be that our current POTUS did horrible things with his pal Jeff. So maybe it’s time to take another look the worst thing Trump has been accused of. It’s time to talk about the Katie Johnson case.
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Katie’s Lawsuit
Those who have followed the Trump and Epstein scandal closely for all these years probably know most of this. But for many, including MAGA who now feel betrayed by Trump, this may not ever have hit your radar.
Back in 2016, when it seemed increasingly clear the Celebrity Apprentice star was going to be the unlikely Republican nominee, many women came forward with their stories of being sexually assaulted by him. Many thought it was “convenient” they came out once he ran for president. We just figured they didn’t think it was worth the hardship when he was just some reality TV hack — but the idea of their abuser being President of the United States was too horrifying to lie low and do nothing.
Anyway, one of these women was Katie Johnson. That’s the pseudonym she used anyway. She tried really hard to keep her anonymity, and it’s not hard to imagine why considering the bombshell she was about to drop on some really scary men.
Her first lawsuit, filed without an attorney, had some technical issues, including an unverifiable mailing address and sketchy phone number. Was it because it was a hoax? Or was she trying to protect her identity? Either way, the $100 million suit was ultimately dismissed for failing to cite an actionable civil rights claim. She filed again later that year with proper lawyers — but backed out at the last minute. More on that later. Let’s talk about what she alleged…
Her filing from April, which can still be found online, accused defendants Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey E. Epstein of “sexually and physically abusing Plaintiff Johnson by forcing her to engage in various perverted and depraved sex acts by threatening physical harm to Plaintiff Johnson and also her family.” It accused them of conspiring to deny her civil rights by “making her their sex slave.” Directly from the filing:
“The Plaintiff, Katie Johnson, alleges she was subject to extreme sexual and physical abuse by the Defendants, Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey E. Epstein, including forcible rape during a four month time span covering the months of June-September 1994 when Plaintiff Johnson was still only a minor of age 13.”
Here is exactly what she said happened…
Katie’s Story
Katie began her September filing by explaining she’d come to New York on the bus “in the hope of starting a modeling career.” Every agency she met with turned her away, telling her she need a portfolio first. She was about to head home when a woman identified as Tiffany Doe found her at the Port Authority bus terminal:
“She told me about the parties and said that, if I would join her at the parties, I would be introduced to people who could get me into the modeling profession. Tiffany also told me I would be paid for attending.”
That’s how she met Jeffrey Epstein. The parties were at his place — and featured “other minor females and a number of guests of Mr. Epstein, including Defendant Donald Trump at four of the parties I attended.” Katie says both men were aware she was 13 years old.
Related: Trump Was Reportedly Throwing Parties With Epstein & Young Girls At Mar-a-Lago
Katie says on two separate occasions she was “forced to disrobe into her bra and panties” and give Epstein a “full body massage.” This ended with Epstein putting her hand on his penis until he “achieved sexual orgasm” — at which point she was made to clean up the mess.
Trump was allegedly present for one such incident — he was getting a massage from another girl, also 13 years old. It was on this occasion Katie claims to have heard Trump and Epstein “arguing over who would be the one to take Plaintiff Johnson’s virginity”:
“The Defendant, Donald J. Trump, was clearly heard referring to Defendant, Jeffrey E. Epstein, as a ‘Jew bastard’ as he yelled at Defendant Epstein that clearly, he, Defendant Trump, should be the lucky one to ‘pop the cherry’ of Plaintiff Johnson.”
Eventually Trump got his way.
Trump Encounters
On four different occasions, she claims, Donald Trump “initiated sexual contact” with her. We will remind you once again that Katie was just 13 years old at the time. Donald Trump was about 48 in 1994. It’s worth pointing out his daughter Ivanka Trump was also 13 years old in 1994. This girl was the same age as his daughter.
The filing from April details the first three incidents with Donald Trump. The first time, she claims, she “was forced to manually stimulate” Trump “until he reached sexual orgasm.” The second time, she says she “was forced to orally copulate” him.
The third time with Trump is even more disturbing because, she claims, there was another girl present, referred to as Maria Doe in the docs. Maria was just 12 years old. You can read more about what became of Maria HERE.
Katie says on this third sexual encounter with Trump, both girls were “forced to engage in an unnatural lesbian sex act” in front of Trump for his “sexual enjoyment.” That “both minors were forced to orally copulate Defendant Trump by placing their mouths simultaneously on his erect penis until he achieved sexual orgasm.” But he was cruel to them when it was all over. The complaint adds:
“After zipping up his pants, Defendant Trump physically pushed both minors away while angrily berating them for the ‘poor’ quality of their sexual performance.”
In the fourth encounter with Trump, she claims, he raped her.
The Rape
Obviously even if Katie had “consented” to this as part of her modeling ambitions or whatever, it would still be rape. Remember, a 13-year-old cannot give consent to sex. In 1994, the age of consent in New York was 17.
But this isn’t a statutory rape. This is an accusation of “forcible rape.” Katie says she “was tied to a bed” by Trump before he “exposed himself” — then “proceeded to forcibly rape” her:
“During the course of this savage sexual attack, Plaintiff loudly pleaded with Defendant Trump to stop but with no effect.”
In April’s complaint Katie gives an awful detail. She claims she loudly pleaded with Trump to “please wear a condom” and he responded by hitting her:
“Defendant Trump responded to Plaintiff’s pleas by violently striking Plaintiff Johnson in the face with his open hand and screaming that ‘he would do whatever he wanted’ as he refused to wear protection.”
Katie says “after achieving sexual orgasm” inside of her, he got up and started getting dressed. The teen was “in tears” afterward as she asked Trump what would happen “if he had impregnated her.”
She claims Trump dug in his wallet and “threw some money at her” — telling her to use the money “to get a f**king abortion” then. Katie had been a virgin before that.
In her September complaint, Katie elaborated that after the rape, Trump “threatened” her if she ever told anyone about the assault, she “and her family would be physically harmed if not killed.” Epstein reiterated those threats later.
Epstein’s Revenge
Katie claimed Jeffrey Epstein raped her on a later date. Once again, she was forced to give him a full body massage in her bra and panties. She says he learned during the massage that Trump had taken her virginity, he became enraged.
She says Epstein “attempted to enter Plaintiff Johnson’s anal cavity with his erect penis while trying to restrain her.” When she fought back he “attempted to enter Plaintiff Johnson’s vagina with his erect penis.” She says she kept fighting, but he only stopped when he was done:
“This attempt to brutally sodomize and rape Plaintiff Johnson by Defendant Epstein was finally repelled by Plaintiff Johnson but not before Defendant Epstein was able to achieve sexual orgasm.”
The suit goes on to say after this, Epstein “attempted to strike her about the head with his closed fists” screaming he “should have been the one who ‘took her cherry, not Mr. Trump.'”
Katie then “finally managed to break away” from Epstein.
Katie says she was “fully warned” more than once that “were she ever to reveal any of the details of the sexual and physical abuse that she had suffered as a sex slave for Defendant Trump and Defendant Epstein, that Plaintiff Johnson and her family would be in mortal danger.” She was told explicitly if she talked it “would mean certain death” for her and her family.
Witnesses
Katie said in her first complaint that she had a material witness — “Tiffany Doe,” the Epstein employee who first roped her into working the parties. The doc says she worked “for more than 10 years as a party planner for his underage sex parties.” Tiffany offered testimony she was present at all these occasions and had “personally witnessed” these acts and more “sexual perversion and physical cruelty” by Trump and Epstein. Seems she was suffering some regrets about her actions.
Another witness in the September filing was “Joan Doe,” who claims she remembers Katie telling her about all this… during the 1994-1995 school year. Yeah. They were in middle school.
What Happened To The Lawsuit
It took over 20 years for Katie to break her silence. Her attorney for her second filing Evan Goldman explained that the thought of her rapist becoming president drove her to risk speaking out. Goldman told the Sacramento News & Review in 2019:
“She was very forthcoming and also a very reluctant person. She only decided to do something when she saw that there was a chance that Trump could become President.”
Katie herself said in a June letter requesting court protection:
“The duress imposed on me by Defendants not to ever reveal any of the details of the sexual and physical abuse caused to me by Defendants has not terminated and the fear it has instilled in me has not subsided. Unfortunately, making matters worse for me, I was subjected to daily painful reminders of the horrific acts of Defendant Trump via mass media coverage of him starting last summer that, over a short period of time, became continuous and unavoidable.”
From the time of her initial April lawsuit, she claimed in the letter, she “started receiving threatening phone calls.” She changed her number, and it stopped. But the fear didn’t. She told the court
“I have no reason to believe that the Defendants’ threats have ever been lifted or will ever be lifted…”
Ultimately, fear of Trump’s presidency did not eclipse fear for her family’s safety. Katie dropped the suit abruptly just before the election, in November 2016. She cited fears for her safety.
She was just about to go public in a press conference at the law offices of Lisa Bloom in California, when she backed out and chose not to reveal herself. Bloom told gathered reporters that after “numerous threats,” Katie “decided she is too afraid to show her face.” Later that day, Bloom said her law firm’s website had been hacked.
Goldman maintains “there were real threats which forced her to drop the lawsuit.” He said the day of the press conference, Katie’s car and cell phone were stolen — and she didn’t think it was a coincidence:
“This freaked her out and that is when she decided not to go through with it.”
If Katie had revealed her identity and gone on 20/20 and told her story, would it have made a difference? Would Trump still have been elected in 2016? Would something else horrible have happened to Katie? We’ll never know.
Goldman has never revealed Katie Johnson’s true identity. We have no idea if she is safe and hidden, watching the latest Epstein anger building… We hope so.
You can still read Katie’s accusations in her April filing in pdf format HERE… and in her September filing (as Jane Doe) HERE.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.
[Image via MEGA/WENN/NBC/YouTube.]
