Caption: Trump blasts judge for not postponing trial for Melania’s mom’s funeral ? but will hold rally
Credit REUTERS / AP
Ex-President Donald Trump railed against a judge for refusing to postpone his defamation trial so he can attend his mother-in-law’s funeral – but has a campaign rally planned at the same time.
Trump’s lawyers claimed that his defamation trial brought by columnist E Jean Carroll conflicts with the funeral of his wife Melania’s mother, Amalija Knavs.
‘Accordingly, President Trump, who plans to attend his trial, will not be able to be present on Wednesday and Thursday as he will be traveling to be with his family and be attending the funeral,’ wrote his attorney Alina Habba last week.
‘Given that this is one of life’s sad unexpected realities, President Trump would greatly appreciate this minor accommodation during this difficult time.’
US District Judge Lewis Kaplan declined Trump’s request, stating that the trial start date was scheduled seven months prior and postponing it would could pose logistical issues.
‘Accordingly, the Court denied the request but noted that defendant is free to attend the funeral, the trial or both,’ wrote Kaplan.
The trial is set to start on Tuesday, and Trump plans to attend.
Trump on Saturday blasted the judge.
‘Lewis Kaplan, the terrible, biased, irrationally angry Clinton-appointed Judge in the Bergdorf’s Hoax, refused to postpone the sham trial next week, even in light of the funeral of my beloved Mother-in-law,’ he wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday.
‘This Judge has been ruthlessly unfair from the first day of Crooked Joe Biden’s Election Interfering Witch Hunt.’
Knavs’ funeral is set to take place on Thursday in Florida. Melania announced her mother’s death and paid tribute to her in an X (formerly Twitter) post last Tuesday.
Regardless of the defamation trial, Trump appears to have planned to hold a campaign rally on Wednesday night in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, according to his website.
It is not the first time that Trump has asked for a legal proceeding to be delayed due to Knavs’ death – not the first time he has been denied.
Trump requested that New York Judge Arthur Engoron postpone closing arguments in his $370million civil fraud trial last Thursday, citing his mother-on-law’s passing. Engoron denied the request. Trump went on to speak at a Fox News town hall about 24 hours after Knavs’ death and ripped his opponents in a raucous press conference on Thursday at the same time as the closing arguments.
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