Video of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump testifying under oath about his incendiary remarks about Latinos will be released by the Superior Court of Washington, D.C., Friday.
The deposition was filmed in June in relation to a dispute between Trump and celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian, who withdrew from a contract to open flagship restaurants at the Trump International Hotel in Washington due to the GOP nominee’s provocative language about immigrants. Trump is also in a court battle with Jose Andres, who terminated an agreement to open his own restaurant in the hotel the day before Zakarian. Trump lawyers fought to prevent release of the film, as well as depositions given by Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. in the same case.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Brian Holeman, who issued the release order, has also decided the case will be decided by a jury, since too many items in the record are in dispute. (RELATED: Trump Sued For $5 Million By Members Of His Own Golf Club)
“This Court finds that Plaintiff has not demonstrated that any subject video deposition contains scandalous, libelous, or other unduly prejudicial material warranting denial of media access,” Holeman wrote. “The public shall not be held captive by the suggested eventuality of partisan editing in a manner unfavorable to Plaintiff or the deponents.”
As Politico’s Josh Gerstein notes, another judge reached the opposite conclusion on this question in another lawsuit concerning Trump’s business interests. U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel refused to release depositions given in fraud litigation surrounding the Donald’s eponymous Trump University. Curiel found the public had no compelling interest in viewing the tapes.
Holeman was appointed to the D.C. Superior Court in 2004 by President Bush. He is a graduate of Princeton and University of Michigan Law School.
Send tips to kevin@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.