The New York Times and USA Today parent company Gannett have requested the New York Supreme Court to unseal the 1990 divorce records of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
The news organizations argue that unsealing the records of Mr. Trump’s divorce from Ivana Trump would help “resolve an ongoing campaign controversy” over whether Ivana accused the business mogul of sexual assault during the separation proceedings, USA Today reported.
The divorce was granted on the ground of “cruel and inhuman treatment,” but Donald and Ivana Trump later reached a settlement. Ivana has since said that she and Donald Trump remain close friends, and she has endorsed his candidacy. She has also downplayed claims of assault during their marriage, USA Today reported.
The news organizations argued that the divorce records are also relevant because of Mr. Trump’s focus on Hillary and Bill Clinton’s marriage, specifically the former president’s extramarital affairs.
The records “have become directly relevant to the issues being debated in the hotly contested presidential campaign,” the news organizations said, USA Today reported. “It would be deeply incongruous to American democracy to bar the public from seeing the official court records pertaining directly to the credibility and character of a person they must soon decide whether to elect as their president.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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