Former President Donald Trump is on trial this week in New York City to decide if he must pay further damages to former Elle magazine writer E. Jean Carroll for allegedly defaming her in 2019 when he refuted her unsubstantiated sexual assault accusations.
Judge Lewis Kaplan has since postponed Donald Trump’s hearing until Tuesday due to alleged “COVID-19 concerns.”
Defense attorney Alina Habba urged Judge Kaplan to reschedule former President Trump’s testimony on Wednesday since “tomorrow is the New Hampshire primary.”
The judge did not immediately rule. The plaintiff’s counsel objected to the delay.
ABC News reported on the developments:
Court is adjourned Monday due to health concerns on the part of several participants.
The proceedings will resume Tuesday, pending everyone’s good health, Judge Lewis Kaplan announced.
A juror reported feeling “hot and nauseous,” so the judge sent him home for the day with instructions to get a COVID-19 test.
Additionally, defense attorney Alina Habba reported she is not feeling well. One or both of her parents had COVID-19 and she was exposed at a dinner with them three days ago, she said.
Habba said she had a fever 48 hours ago but a court-administered COVID-19 test this morning came back negative.
“We will not take testimony today,” Kaplan said.
Former President Trump sat between Habba and her legal partner, Michael Madaio, when the judge announced the announcement.
“See you tomorrow, I hope,” Judge Kaplan said.
The court also refused the defense’s last plea for a mistrial, which was submitted on Friday.
“The defense made a motion for a mistrial, again,” the judge said. “That motion is denied.”
Hardcore Trump supporter Laura Loomer exploded at the court’s announcement.
Wow unreal.
President Trump was supposed to be in New York City today after his rally in New Hampshire last night so he could attend court.
In an act of BRAZEN ELECTION INTERFERENCE, Judge Kaplan, the Leftist judge in Trump’s E. Jean Carroll defamation trial, just delayed…
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) January 22, 2024
“Wow unreal,” she said. “President Trump was supposed to be in New York City today after his rally in New Hampshire last night so he could attend court.”
“In an act of BRAZEN ELECTION INTERFERENCE, Judge Kaplan, the Leftist judge in Trump’s E. Jean Carroll defamation trial, just delayed Trump’s trial that he was supposed to attend today, until tomorrow, January 23, the day of the New Hampshire primary,” she added.
“Reid Hoffman (who was an associate and friend of the ped*phile Jeffrey Epstein) has been funding E. Jean Caroll’s lawsuits against Trump. Hoffman is the second largest Democrat mega donor after George Soros, and he is also backing Nikki Haley for President. He recently donated a quarter of a million dollars to Haley’s PAC and encouraged his Democrat donor friends to do the same.”
“It’s obvious that Judge Kaplan is trying to illegally interfere in the New Hampshire primary,” she added.
“I wonder if Reid Hoffman has any financial ties to Judge Kaplan too?” Loomer speculated. “Perhaps Judge Kaplan needs to have his bank records examined.”
Regardless of any undue political influence on the trial, it is clear that Covid-19 is back to disrupting America’s national elections.
