Commentator and former Trump campaign staffer Arlene “A.J.” Delgado dropped two long-running lawsuits against President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign for alleged discrimination and enabling sexual assault in recent days, court records show—though she’s continuing to pursue assault claims against Trump campaign advisor Jason Miller.
Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller for Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, attends the Senate confirmation hearing for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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Delgado, who served as an advisor on Trump’s 2016 campaign, filed notices in federal and New York state court on May 3 and 1, respectively, which revealed she dropped her claims against the Trump campaign in both jurisdictions.
She did not drop claims in the state case against Miller, whom she has accused of sexual assault and harassment—which he has denied, maintaining their relationship was consensual.
The court filings did not explain why the cases had been dropped and the White House has not responded to a request for comment, though Thomas P. Giuffra, the lead attorney in Delgado’s state case, told Forbes in a statement, “The parties have agreed to amicably resolve their disputes and will have no further comment on the matter.”
Delgado first sued the Trump campaign in federal court in 2019, accusing top advisors of unlawfully discriminating against her after she became pregnant, stripping her of job responsibilities and discouraging her from seeking employment at the Trump White House “due to her status as a pregnant woman and a first-time mother.”
Delgado then sued Trump’s 2016 campaign, its spokesperson Jason Miller, his company Jamestown Associates and other campaign advisors in New York state court in 2023, alleging Miller had sexually assaulted her while serving as her supervisor, including the act that resulted in her pregnancy.
She alleged the Trump campaign had turned a blind eye to Miller’s behavior and hired the advisor again for the 2020 and 2024 campaigns despite his behavior towards women and alleged “substance abuse, mental illness, and abusive posture towards others,” alleging in her complaint the campaign “had no regard for placing abusive, troubled individuals in positions of power.”
Delgado dismissed her claims against the Trump campaign with prejudice, which means she cannot file them again. Her case against Miller for alleged harassment will continue to move forward, and it’s unclear how long it could take to play out.
Delgado filed her 2019 lawsuit after previously reaching a settlement with the Trump campaign in 2017, according to the complaint. She alleged the campaign “reneged on their agreement” and refused to follow the terms of the settlement, however, and later pursued arbitration against Delgado for violating a non-disclosure agreement after she threatened to take further legal action. In a court filing, the Trump campaign maintained Delgado was bound by confidentiality agreements and argued she was not allowed to pursue her claims in court. Delgado also alleged in a 2024 declaration in the case that the Trump campaign routinely used middlemen to conceal settlement payments for alleged harassment, so that those settlements would not have to be publicly reported through the Federal Election Commission. The Trump campaign did not respond to that letter in court, and the White House has not yet responded to a request for comment.
The Trump campaign’s lawyers for much of the time the federal litigation was pending, from the law firm LaRocca, Hornik, Greenberg, Kittredge, Carlin & McPartland, dropped out of the case in 2024, citing “an irreparable breakdown in the attorney-client relationship between the Firm and the Campaign.” It’s unclear why the relationship broke down, and a court filing with additional details was submitted privately to the court and not made public. In a court filing disputing the lawyer change, Delgado said the move “stinks to high heaven” and speculated the Trump campaign had asked the original attorneys not to comply with a court order, but they were unwilling to do so. There’s no indication that was the case, however, and the judge ultimately denied Delgado’s requests for sanctions against the campaign and its attorneys.
While Delgado’s state lawsuit against the Trump campaign and Miller alleges her relationship with Miller was non-consensual, Delgado has also made public comments to the contrary, telling The Atlantic in 2017, “Among other things, I was really drawn to his talent,” and showing reporter McKay Coppins affectionate text messages confirming their relationship. In her state lawsuit, Delgado alleged she felt forced to “feign interest” in Miller during their relationship, believing “rejecting Miller would have disastrous repercussions for her White House job and even for any position at all within the general Trump orbit.” Miller’s attorney denied her allegations and described Delgado’s claims against Miller as a “frivolous campaign to continue to tax Mr. Miller’s limited resources” in a court filing.
Delgado is an attorney and commentator who initially gained prominence before the 2016 campaign in conservative media, cable news and social media, where she was a vocal Trump supporter. She soon joined the Trump campaign, where she was tasked with helping to appeal to Hispanic voters, and became a prominent spokesperson for the campaign, later also working on Trump’s transition team after his 2016 victory. Delgado gave birth to her and Miller’s son in 2017 and has had separate legal disputes with Miller over custody of the child and child support payments. She now describes herself on social media as being “proudly anti-Trump.”
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