Vanessa Trump filed for divorce against her husband Donald Trump Jr. late Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court.
“After 12 years of marriage, we have decided to go our separate ways,” the couple told Page Six in a joint statement. “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.”
The president’s daughter-in-law filed for an uncontested proceeding, meaning she’s not likely to fight her ex for custody of the couple’s five children or over their assets.
Legal experts say the former couple likely has a prenuptial agreement.
“Prenuptial agreements and confidentiality agreements are in the Trump dynasty DNA so I would be surprised if Donald Jr. went into the marriage completely naked,” said divorce lawyer Michael Stutman, of the firm Stutman Stutman & Lichtenstein LLP. He is not involved in the case.
Vanessa and Don Jr., both 40, were married in 2005.
Page Six first reported that they were struggling with marital problems related to Don Jr.’s travels and controversial tweets.
The filing comes the same day as special counsel Robert Mueller subpoenaed President Trump’s family business, demanding that the Trump Organization release information related to Russia.
Don Jr. and his younger brother Eric Trump have been running their father’s company while he’s in office.
Nancy Chemtob, another family law expert who is not representing either party, said Vanessa could invoke spousal immunity to avoid testifying against her husband while their divorce is still pending.
Chemtob speculated that Vanessa may be filing for the split now to secure a financial settlement before the Mueller probe potentially puts her husband’s assets at risk.
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