New York Daily News

DUMP JUNIOR

Oldest Trump kid’s wife files for a divorce

- BY STEPHEN REX BROWN

LIKE FATHER, like son.

Donald Trump Jr.’s wife has filed for divorce.

Vanessa Trump married Trump Jr. in 2005. They have five children.

The reasons for the divorce filed Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court were not clear. The divorce was listed as “unconteste­d,” indicating the split was amicable. Trump, 40, has been traveling extensivel­y while running his father’s business with his brother, Eric.

President Trump has been divorced twice and is married to Melania Trump. Trump’s first wife, Ivana, is Trump Jr.’s mother.

The Trumps issued a joint statement asking for privacy.

“After 12 years of marriage, we have decided to go our separate ways. We will always have tremendous respect for each other and our families. We have five beautiful children together and they remain our top priority. We ask for your privacy during this time.”

In a 2006 interview with the Internatio­nal Herald Tribune, Vanessa shared how she met her future ex.

“I’m at this fashion show,” Vanessa said, recalling the 2003 encounter. “Donald Trump comes up to me with his son: ‘Hi, I’m Donald Trump. I wanted to introduce you to my son Donald Trump Jr.’”

The three briefly chatted and then crossed paths again during intermissi­on.

“Donald comes back up to me again, ‘I don’t think you've met my son Donald Trump Jr.,’ ” Vanessa said.

“Yeah, we just met, five minutes ago,” she replied.

Last month, Vanessa, 40, was taken to a hospital after opening an envelope addressed to Trump Jr. containing a white powder. A note accompanyi­ng the powder — which was later determined to be corn starch — read “now you get what you deserve,” sources said. A Massachuse­tts man, Daniel Frisiello, 24, was charged with sending the material.

Nancy Chemtob, who is not involved in the Trump case, but previously represente­d Matt Lauer's wife, Annette Roque, said the “unconteste­d” filing did not guarantee the divorce would remain that way.

“What could be so bad that you just can’t wait?” she said.

The divorce came on the same day The New York Times reported that special counsel Robert Mueller had served subpoenas on the Trump Organizati­on for any internal documents related to Russia.

Mueller has also reportedly been looking into a Trump Tower meeting Trump Jr. held with Russians who offered dirt on Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Chemtob said it was possible that Mueller’s investigat­ion into interferen­ce in the 2016 election played a role in the timing of the divorce.

“(Vanessa) may want to distance herself as much as possible from the investigat­ion,” she said.

“If this is going to affect her financiall­y, then separating now would be in her best interest.”

PREZ DRAMAS: Mueller subpoena, new Russian hack.

THE TRUMP administra­tion on Thursday accused Russia of an ongoing cybercampa­ign targeting the U.S. power grid and hit a group of Kremlin-linked companies and Russian nationals with sanctions for election interferen­ce.

The sanctions were announced only hours after President Trump joined the leaders of France, Germany and Britain in condemning Russia for a nerve-agent attack on a former spy in England.

A rare joint statement explicitly declared that “there is no plausible alternativ­e explanatio­n” other than Russia being behind the March 4 attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

The accusation­s of energy grid attacks and sanctions are some of the strongest actions the Trump administra­tion has taken against Russia to date. The President has publicly mocked U.S. intelligen­ce findings that Russia meddled in the 2016 election in a bid to help him. The moves came after the FBI, the Homeland Security Department and U.S. intelligen­ce agencies determined Russian government hackers have been carrying out an elaborate attack on the energy sector for at least two years. The officials said the Russians deliberate­ly chose U.S. energy industry targets, obtaining access to computer systems and then conducting “network reconnaiss­ance” of control systems that run American factories and the electric grid. “Since at least March 2016, Russian government cyber actors . . . targeted government entities and multiple U.S. critical in- Sanctions for elex meddle as power-grid plot revealed

 ??  ?? Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump in 2016 and below showing off her engagement ring before their 2005 wedding. The divorcing couple said they “will always have tremendous respect for each other.”
Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump in 2016 and below showing off her engagement ring before their 2005 wedding. The divorcing couple said they “will always have tremendous respect for each other.”
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