The Trump family is not wasting time taking legal action against the President’s niece in an effort to stop publication of her soon-to-be-released book, and they have turned to powerful celebrity lawyer Charles Harder to do so, The Daily. Beast has learned.
A few days after Donald Trump said that Mary Trump “was not allowed” to write such a tome, citing a “very powerful” NDA that he had signed and that the President claimed “covers everything,” the President’s brother Robert S. Trump has filed a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) in the Queens County Substitute Court.
The news, first reported by The New York TimesIt was shared with The Daily Beast earlier in the day by two people familiar with the matter. A third person with knowledge of the situation said discussions with the President himself about what to “do with Mary”, both legally and from a public relations point of view, had been ongoing “for days.” According to The Times, the request for the order was filed with the Queens County Substitute Court, the same court that was the scene of a disorderly family legal fight in 2000 over the assets of Trump’s father, Fred, who eventually settled a year later. on Mary and her brother, also called Fred, signing a confidentiality agreement.
On Monday, Harder emailed Simon and Schuster’s attorney general, Veronica Jordan, saying that he was acting as a litigation attorney for Robert Trump. Citing a “violation of the Separation Agreement dated April 10, 2001,” Harder wrote that his client intends to “act immediately on a temporary restraining order in the Substitute Court in Queen County,” according to the email that The Daily Beast got.
The TRO application, signed by Harder, requires a lawsuit that prohibits Mary Trump and Simon and Schuster from “publishing any description or account of Mary L. Trump’s relationship” with Donald, Maryanne or Robert.
Harder did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Daily Beast.
For years, Harder has served as a personal attorney for members of the Trump family, including President Trump himself. Sources close to both men say that while Trump does not have a close relationship with Harder in the same way as with other outside attorneys, such as Jay Sekulow or Rudy Giuliani, the president values Harder as a forceful legal instrument, particularly in his legal threats. and lawsuits against enemies in the media. Perhaps Harder’s most memorable and infamous legal achievement was taking down the Gawker news and gossip website. During his time in office, President Trump has recommended recommending close associates to hold Harder for his own legal disputes and intimidation, according to two people who have heard Trump do this.
In a statement to The Daily Beast, Mary Trump’s attorney, Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., said:
“President Trump and his brothers seek to delete a book that will discuss matters of utmost public importance. They are chasing this illegal pre-restriction because they don’t want the public to know the truth. The courts will not tolerate this blatant violation of the First Amendment. “
Julia Prosser, a spokeswoman for Simon & Schuster, noted that the courts have traditionally had “an unclear view of the previous restriction” and said that the attempt “to block publication will have the same fate as previous ones.” In Too much and never enough: how my family created the most dangerous man in the worldMary Trump has written a compelling personal story of global importance, and we look forward to helping her tell her story. “
Last week, The Daily Beast reported that the President was actively discussing his lawyers’ firing of his own niece, and had been pouring out at the White House on how Mary had signed a confidentiality agreement years ago. In an interview with Axios conducted on Friday and published on Sunday, Trump discussed the existence of the NDA.
“You know, when we settled with her and her brother, with whom I have a good relationship, she has a brother, Fred, with whom I do have a good relationship, but when we settled, she has a total … she signed a nondisclosure Trump said.
When asked by Axios about Mary’s accusation that he “dismissed and mocked” his own father when he had Alzheimer’s, President Trump replied: “It is totally false … Quite the contrary, actually. I always had a great relationship. I didn’t know she said that. That’s a shameful thing to say. “
The Daily Beast was also the first to report earlier this month that Mary Trump was ready to launch her book, Too much and never enough, about his uncle and his family. The book is said to contain potentially humiliating accounts and information for the President, and is currently slated to be released this July as Trump battles for reelection against former Vice President Joe Biden.
White House spokesmen and several Trump attorneys did not respond to requests for comment from The Daily Beast on Tuesday afternoon.
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