Brother of Trump’s Niece Blasts Her Tell-All Book, Calling Release a ‘Violation of Our Privacy’
Another member of President Donald Trump’s family has taken a stand against his niece’s new memoir, which is currently scheduled to be released next week.
Soon after news of Mary Trump’s Too Much and Never Enough — which has been described by publisher Simon & Schuster as a "revelatory, authoritative portrait of Donald J. Trump and the toxic family that made him” — was made public last month, her family moved to prevent the tell-all’s publication.
Robert Trump, Mary's uncle and the president's younger brother, filed a lawsuit arguing that a confidentiality agreement Mary signed in 2001 related to a fight over patriarch Fred Trump Sr’s estate should prevent her from writing a book.
A hearing on the matter was set for Friday, though an appellate court has already ruled Simon & Schuster is not bound by the agreement Mary signed — paving the way for them to publish her book.
While the result of Friday's court hearing looms, Mary’s brother, Fred Trump III, called the forthcoming release a “breach of trust and a violation of our privacy.” (Their father, Fred Trump Jr., is the president's older brother; he died in 1981.)
“My wife, children and I have a strong relationship with our extended family. We had no involvement with the preparation of this book, which is a breach of trust and a violation of our privacy," Trump III said in a statement sent to PEOPLE by the Trump Organization.
"We consider our family matters to be private," he continued, "and will not be commenting further.”
In a previous statement, Mary and Trump III's uncle Robert called her memoir a "disgrace.”
RELATED: Trump Niece's Tell-All Describes a Family of Liars, Cheats & Abusers Who Destroyed Her Dad
In her own affidavit filed last week, Mary argued that she "never believed that the [2001] Settlement Agreement resolving discrete financial disputes could possibly restrict me from telling the story of my life or publishing a book discussing anything contained in the Book, including the conduct and character of my uncle, the sitting President of the United States, during his campaign for re-election."
“Moreover, my uncle, the President, has spoken out about our family and the will dispute on numerous occasions," she added.
The president previously claimed in June that Mary was "not allowed to write a book" because of her nondisclosure agreement, which dates back to a suit both Mary and Trump III filed over Trump Sr.'s will two decades ago.
Their suit was settled in 2001. The president has since said he's grown closer to Trump III, and Mary was invited to the White House in 2017.
RELATED: Donald Trump's Niece Speaks Out in Affidavit as She Fights Tell-All Book Restraining Order
In a statement on Monday, a spokesman for Mary said: “The act by a sitting president to muzzle a private citizen is just the latest in a series of disturbing behaviors which have already destabilized a fractured nation in the face of a global pandemic. If Mary cannot comment, one can only help but wonder: What is Donald Trump so afraid of?”
In his own statement in June, to The New York Times, Robert said: “[Mary's] attempt to sensationalize and mischaracterize our family relationship after all of these years for her own financial gain is both a travesty and injustice to the memory of my late brother, Fred, and our beloved parents. I and the rest of my entire family are so proud of my wonderful brother, the president, and feel that Mary’s actions are truly a disgrace.”
Citing "high demand and extraordinary interest,” Simon & Schuster said on Monday that Mary’s book is now scheduled to be released two weeks early — on Tuesday.
