NEW YORK: Donald Trump is free to skip a New York trial over accusations he raped a writer nearly 30 years ago, but jurors will not be told his absence was meant to spare them and the city snarled traffic and heavy security, a federal judge ruled on Thursday. US district judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan called it premature to grant Trump’s request that jurors at E Jean Carroll’s April 25 trial be instructed that staying away “by design, avoids the logistical burdens that his presence” would cause. He said Trump has no obligation to show up or testify, and his lawyers can renew the request if he doesn’t.
The judge also noted that Trump is planning a New Hampshire campaign stop on April 27, which would be the trial’s third day. “If the Secret Service can protect him at that event, certainly the Secret Service, the Marshals Service, and the City of New York can see to his security in this federal courthouse,” he wrote.
The judge also noted that Trump is planning a New Hampshire campaign stop on April 27, which would be the trial’s third day. “If the Secret Service can protect him at that event, certainly the Secret Service, the Marshals Service, and the City of New York can see to his security in this federal courthouse,” he wrote.