What to Know
- Zhang stunned U.S. District Judge Roy Altman last month when she said she wanted to fire the public defenders and represent herself.
Attorneys for the Chinese woman charged with illegally entering President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort say she is mentally competent and should not be blocked from serving as her own lawyer.
Assistant federal public defender Kristy Militello wrote in court documents filed in Florida this week that Yujing Zhang wouldn't meet with a psychologist, but in interviews with her attorneys appears mentally competent.
Zhang stunned U.S. District Judge Roy Altman last month when she said she wanted to fire the public defenders and represent herself. He tried to dissuade her but said he would allow it if she were found competent. He has scheduled a hearing next week.
Zhang is charged with trespassing at Mar-a-Lago on March 30 and lying to Secret Service agents. The 33-year-old has pleaded not guilty.
