Trump lawyers argue US government should take his place in E Jean Carroll lawsuit

Ex-president's attorneys said he isn't trying to dodge personal liability while in 2020 DoJ sought to replace Trump as defendant

Lawyers for Donald Trump appeared before a federal appeals court on Friday to argue that the US government should take his place as the defendant in a defamation lawsuit filed by writer E Jean Carroll, who has accused him of rape.

The former president's attorneys told the judges he was not trying to dodge personal liability in the lawsuit by Carroll, who has spoken publicly about her allegations. He just wants to keep future presidents from being burdened by legal claims, they said.