Judge rejects delay to defamation suit against Donald Trump
By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has rejected a request by lawyers for former President Donald Trump to delay progression of a defamation lawsuit while an appeals court decides if the United States can be substituted as the defendant. Judge Lewis A. Kaplan in Manhattan federal court issued a brief denial Wednesday of the request. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is slated to hear arguments late this year on whether Trump can be replaced as defendant. The U.S. Justice Department has asserted that Trump cannot be held personally liable for “crude and disrespectful” remarks he made about a woman who accused him of rape because he was president at the time.
