Spectral evidence has not been permitted at trials since Governor William Phips of Massachusetts banned it in October of 1692 from being used in the Court of Oyer and Terminer during the Salem witch trials.  However, history seems to have repeated itself.

In the Manhattan sexual assault civil suit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll against Donald Trump, not one speck of physical evidence was presented that showed they were ever together at the Bergdorf Goodman department store almost 30 years ago.  Is this not spectral evidence?  Of course, it could be argued that after almost 30 years, there would be no evidence left except for a few friends who were told by Carroll that he attacked her back then.  Again, is that not spectral evidence?

Does this not mean anyone can be charged at any time, and it will be done in the name of righteousness, just as it was in 1692?

"Follow the money," Deep Throat supposedly told Bob Woodward long ago, and this being Bob Woodward should immediately create suspicion about the veracity of the quote.  Nevertheless, it made for a good story back then, and it does yield some important insights.

Follow the money.  In 2019, E. Jean Carroll published a misandrist book called What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal.  The memoir would probably have sold fewer than twenty copies except for the claim that Donald Trump raped her.  The book was published during the #metoomovement, a misandrist movement if ever there was one that continues to this day with the elite media's incessant promotion.  Of course, Trump vehemently denied the allegations, saying, "I've never met this person in my life," Carroll is "not my type," and the incident "never happened."

Carroll then sued Trump for defamation because of his comments in November 2019, alleging that the then-president's reaction to her allegations caused her "emotional pain and suffering at the hands of the man who raped her, as well as injury to her reputation, honor and dignity."

Follow the money.  Michael Bloomberg, the 14th richest man in the world, a known Trump-hater and notorious global oligarch, contributed five million to Governor Kathy Hochul's campaign for governor of New York, according to the New York Times.  On May 22, 2022, Hochul signed the Adult Survivors Act.

"Today, we take an important step in empowering survivors across New York to use their voices and hold their abusers accountable," Hochul said.

This certainly sounds like a genuine pursuit of justice; however, Hochul and Bloomberg were certainly aware of Carroll's defamation suit and her lurid claims of rape.  Then, on November 24, 2022, Carroll filed a second suit under the Adult Survivors Act against Trump.  This act took a critical step to change the statute of limitations to allow survivors to legally pursue a civil suit and hold the individual(s)/institution(s) who hurt them accountable for their actions.

In other words, anyone could claim anything at any time with only spectral evidence.  Although Carroll's rape claim is astonishingly similar to an episode from Law & Order: SVU, she seems unconcerned that she will be sued for copyright infringement.

To put it another way, much as it appears to be a genuine pursuit of justice, the Adult Survivors Act was always intended to get Trump and hurt him politically and make people wonder if he really did it.  The point has always been to get Trump with no physical evidence, which is exactly what has happened.

Image: Public Domain.