The mother of rapper A$AP Rocky said that she’s grateful that President Donald Trump tried intervening in the criminal case her son is embroiled in.
“I’m grateful, very grateful, that the president even considered approaching it in the manner that he did,” Renee Black told Expressen TV.
“It was an unnecessary case to begin with,” the rapper’s mother added. “Everything is on video. They tried to avoid it, but they kept being followed as well as harassed.”
Rocky is accused of assaulting a Swedish man in a fracas that was partially captured on video.
President Donald Trump said on July 19 that he was trying to get the rapper released after being informed of the situation by his wife, First Lady Melania Trump. She told reporters she was working with the U.S. State Department on the issue.
“I personally don’t know A$AP Rocky, but I can tell you that he has tremendous support from the African American community in this country,” Trump said. “When I say African American, I think I can really say from everybody in this country because we’re all one.”
Kim Kardashian West, Kanye West, and political commentators CJ Pearson and Ali Alexander were also among those pressing Trump to get involved.
In an update the next day, Trump said he spoke with the prime minister of Sweden.
“Just had a very good call with Swedish PM Stefan Löfven who assured me that American citizen A$AP Rocky will be treated fairly,” Trump said in a post on Twitter.
“Likewise, I assured him that A$AP was not a flight risk and offered to personally vouch for his bail, or an alternative. Our teams will be talking further, and we agreed to speak again in the next 48 hours!”
Swedish officials have said they aren’t allowed to influence the outcome of the case and noted that there is no bail system in the country. The prosecutor will announce on Thursday his decision as to charging Rocky, keeping him in prison, or releasing him.
A judge on July 18 ruled that A$AP Rocky continue to be held, saying the rapper was a flight risk, reported TMZ. Jovic said his client wouldn’t flee if he was released, noting the rapper is an international star and it would harm his career if he fled from the charges in Sweden.
Rocky’s lawyer, Slobodan Jovicic, previously told The Associated Press that his client was aware of Trump’s statements and “is very thankful for everyone who has reached out to show their support.”
“It means a lot to him, but we are focused on the case that we have in front of us,” he added.
Jovicic has said his client was acting in self-defense.
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Nikita Rispers, Rocky’s cousin, said that the rapper, their son Dave, and Bladimir Corniel, are all victims, reported CBS.
She said the arrests of the trio left her distraught.
“I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. I cried,” she said.
Her husband, David, said the men were defending themselves.
Rispers also praised Trump, saying: “For him to actually hear what they were saying, and then doing something about it… that made me feel proud.”
