New York, January 12, 2024 Former President Donald Trump intensified his criticism of Judge Arthur Engoron on social media after a contentious courtroom clash during the conclusion of a civil fraud trial in New York, as reported by Newsweek on Friday.*
Accused of filing fraudulent financial statements, Trump took to Truth Social, alleging that Engoron had unjustly curtailed his closing argument during Thursday’s proceedings.
The courtroom drama unfolded when Trump sought permission for an unusual closing argument in the civil case. Engoron cautioned against veering into a “campaign speech” or introducing new evidence, terms Trump’s legal team rejected, resulting in a denial of the request.
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Nevertheless, the judge allowed Trump an uninterrupted six-minute speech after his lawyers presented their arguments. In this impromptu address, Trump vehemently declared his innocence, labeling the proceedings a “fraud on me” and accusing New York Attorney General Letitia James of persecution.
Trump asserted that James, who filed a $370 million fraud lawsuit against him, was motivated by political ambitions as she is “someone running for office.”
The clash continued when Engoron halted Trump’s speech for a scheduled lunch break. Positioning himself as the GOP primary frontrunner, Trump accused the judge of “election interference” and dismissed the fraud case against him.
In a social media post, Trump claimed, “The Judge cut me off in Court and would not let me explain that I was worth much more than the 4 plus $Billion (years ago) I show in the Financial Statements, which are conservatively done.”
He accused Engoron of devaluing Mar-a-Lago and other assets to support the Attorney General’s case, labeling the situation a “WITCH HUNT” and decrying “ELECTION INTERFERENCE!”
This clash is part of the ongoing feud between Trump and Judge Engoron. The judge had previously fined Trump twice for violating a gag order intended to prevent public attacks on the judge’s court staff through statements or social media posts.
Legal analyst Lisa Rubin suggested that Trump’s courtroom speech may have damaged his case, highlighting Trump’s admission of an error in valuing his triplex apartment at Trump Tower.
“Trump went on—without any interruption from Engoron or James’ team—and attacked James, accusing her of election interference,” wrote Rubin for NBC News. “There may be a reason that James’ staff didn’t interrupt,” she added, hinting at potential damage caused by Trump’s statements.
Engoron has already ruled that the former president committed fraud by misrepresenting property values in financial statements. The current proceedings aim to determine the extent of the penalty Trump will face, with reports indicating that Engoron will issue his ruling by January 31.
