Trump's lack of immunity from punishment in the case of moral corruption

Former U.S. President Donald Trump could be prosecuted for making disparaging comments about a woman who accused him of rape, the U.S. Justice Department has said.His lawyers have previously argued that Trump has legal immunity because he was president when he made the announcement in 2019.

But on Tuesday, government prosecutors said they no longer had "sufficient evidence" to conclude that Trump acted within his responsibilities.The decision reinforces Jean Carroll's defamation lawsuit against Trump.In May this year, Trump was ordered to pay a former magazine columnist $5 million after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting her in a New York department store in 1996.

Carroll, 79, is currently seeking $10 million from Trump in a libel suit due in January.The lawsuit cites his remarks about her as president in 2019 while answering questions from reporters.The lawsuit has been updated to reflect further comments he made about her during an appearance on CNN the day after the court's verdict two months ago.The Justice Department has previously taken the position that Trump can be defended by state prosecutors because he was acting president when he made those remarks.