There was one name that was noticeably absent in two nights of 2020 debates: E. Jean Carroll, the advice columnist who has accused President Trump of sexually assaulting her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s.
It was unclear whether that means Democrats have determined that the story is not credible enough, or they are just resigned to the idea that attacking Trump’s record with women will get them nowhere, because whoever doesn’t care about it at this point never will.
But it was still notable. There were 20 Democratic candidates, debating over the course of four hours on a liberal network. It just seems as if somebody would have raised the matter, especially one of the lower-tier candidates who would have been guaranteed more attention by bringing it up.
Even on the morning before the second debate, the New York Times posted a podcast featuring interviews with two friends of Carroll who said she told them about the incident right after it happened. So, there was news to tie any sort of reference to it.
The decision of Democrats to avoid making an issue of the accusation makes it more likely that the story will go away and just get folded into the stories of other women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct.
