NEW YORK — If the Secret Service can protect Donald Trump at a New Hampshire campaign rally, it can keep him safe during his civil rape case, a Manhattan federal court judge ruled Thursday.
Judge Lewis Kaplan declined the former president’s request Thursday for a special instruction to jurors should he choose to sit out his Manhattan civil rape trial.
Trump’s lawyer Joe Tacopina argued his client’s “unique status” as the former president should excuse his presence as it would cause a logistical nightmare for New York City, asking the judge to explain that to jurors. Trump isn’t legally required to attend the trial but attorneys typically advise their clients do as it looks better to the jury.
