A federal judge has refused to postpone Donald Trump’s trial involving a lawsuit by former Elle magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll, who is accusing the former US President of rape in the mid-1990s. The Trump defense asked for deferment after finding out that a major Democratic Party donor had covered some of Carroll’s legal fees.Judge Lewis Kaplan did, however, allow Trump’s attorneys on Thursday to gather more information as to who exactly is picking up the tab for the plaintiff. They will have the opportunity to question Carroll over why she withheld facts about the source of money propping up her legal team in October of last year.