Lawyer claims a defamation lawsuit against Trump can’t be brought in state court.
Carlos Barria/Reuters
President Donald Trump is challenging a defamation lawsuit filed against him by saying he can’t be sued in a state court while he serves as president. Former Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos is suing Trump for defamation after he publicly blasted her following her allegations against him of sexual harassment. His lawyer Marc Kasowitz is invoking “the threshold issue of whether the United States Constitution bars this court from adjudicating this action against President Trump during his presidency.” The court filing mentions Bill Clinton v. Paula Jones, a lawsuit filed by the former president against his accuser, in which Clinton’s legal team argued that the sexual-harassment litigation should wait until after he left the White House.
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