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Former President Donald Trump will lead a memorial service on Saturday for Lynette Hardaway, the conservative media personality better known as "Diamond" from the duo Diamond and Silk.
Trump will preside over Hardaway's memorial in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in what is expected to be a major event for conservatives, who have paid tribute to Hardaway since her death was announced on January 12.
Hardaway and her sister, Rochelle "Silk" Richardson, rose to prominence in conservative media for their outspoken support for Trump and for the fact they had previously been Democrats.
The former president's trip to North Carolina comes as he faces an ongoing investigation into his handling of classified documents by Special Counsel Jack Smith.
Florida District Court Judge Donald Middlebrooks fined Trump and his legal team nearly $1 million this week over a lawsuit against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as well as numerous officials at the Department of Justice and the FBI.
Judge Middlebrooks called the case "completely frivolous, both factually and legally," and "brought in bad faith for an improper purpose."
Following that decision, Trump dropped a similar lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James, which was also being overseen by Middlebrooks.
Trump is also embroiled in two lawsuits brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, who alleges that Trump raped her in the 1990s. He has always denied that accusation.
A sworn deposition from October last year was unsealed this week after a New York judge rejected Trump's "absurd" attempt to have the two lawsuits dismissed.
It also emerged that Trump mistook Carroll for his second wife, Marla Maples, when he was shown a black and white photo of himself interacting with a group including Carroll.
Trump may avoid mentioning his current legal issues as he leads tributes to Hardaway on Saturday but he is almost certain to highlight her staunch support for him.
In a video shared to Twitter by Diamond and Silk's account on Wednesday, Trump described Hardaway as "an angel and true friend."
"They were with me from the beginning and they never wavered," the former president said.
Richardson also noted on Wednesday that she will mark her 52nd birthday on Saturday and wrote on Twitter: "Instead of celebrating me, I want you all to join me in Fayetteville NC on Saturday Jan 21st at 4pm ET to Celebrate The Life of my sister, Diamond."
The event is ticketed and Diamond and Silk have shared a link where those wishing to attend can register for tickets. By providing a cellphone number, those interested can register for up to five tickets but the website advises that all tickets "are subject to first come first serve basis."
Newsweek has asked former President Trump's office for comment.
About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more