NEWS
Judge Issues Gag Order In Fraud Trial After Trump Attacks Court Clerk in Social Media Post
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The judge in former President Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial in New York on Tuesday barred all parties to the case from making comments about court staff after Trump attacked a clerk on social media.
“This morning one of the defendants posted on (a) social media account a disparaging untrue and personally identifying post about a member of my staff. Although I have since ordered the post deleted and apparently it was, it was also emailed out to millions of other recipients,” Judge Arthur Engoron said in court.
“Personal attacks of any member of my court staff are unacceptable, inappropriate and I will not tolerate them,” Engoron said.
“Consider this statement an order forbidding all parties from posting, emailing or speaking publicly about any members of my staff,” Engoron said. Failure to comply will result in serious sanctions, he said.
Trump attacked Engoron’s clerk in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, claiming she was the girlfriend of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and posting a photo of the two together.
How disgraceful! Trump wrote. This case should be dismissed immediately.
Trump was in court Monday and Tuesday as the fraud trial against him, his two adult sons, and Trump Organization executives continues.
The $250 million civil fraud lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James opened on Monday, after Judge Arthur Engoron last week ruled that Trump committed financial fraud for a decade by overvaluing assets, and revoked the Trump Organizations business certification in the state.
Engoron granted the motion for summary judgment, finding Trump and his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, to be liable as a matter of law for persistent violations of New York state law. The state will not have to prove at trial that the financial statements are fraudulent, but several other claims are still to be decided, including allegations of conspiracy, falsifying business records and insurance fraud.
The judge found that Trump repeatedly provided false financial statements that overvalued assets and his net worth in order to deceive banks and insurers to receive favorable terms. Engoron also found that Trump repeatedly overvalued the Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, Fla., by as much as 2,300%, and lied about the size of his Trump Tower penthouse in Manhattan, tripling it and valuing it at $327 million.
“A discrepancy of this order of magnitude, by a real estate developer sizing up his own living space of decades, can only be considered fraud,” Engoron said.
Trump’s attorney Christopher Kise said in his opening statement Monday that the evidence would show that Trump built one of the most successful real estate empires in the world and made many billions of dollars being right about real estate investments.
He argued that there was no fraud because asset valuations are subjective. President Trump did not make any false statements, Kise said.
Speaking with reporters during the lunch break on Monday, Trump called the proceedings ridiculous.
Were going to be here for months with a judge that already made up his mind. Its ridiculous, Trump said.
This is a judge that should be disbarred. This is a judge that should be out of office. This is a judge that some people say could be charged criminally for what hes doing. Hes interfering with an election, and its a disgrace, Trump said.
He also appeared to make remarks about the clerk.
And this rogue judge, a Trump hater. The only one that hates Trump more is his associate up there, Trump said. The person that works with him. Shes screaming into his ear almost every time we ask a question. A disgrace.
The trial is not taking place in front of a jury. Trump attorney Alina Habba said that Trump wanted a jury, but Engoron noted his lawyers did not ask for a jury trial.
Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are all listed as possible witnesses in the trial.
Trump is also facing more than 90 criminal charges across four separate cases, two of which are connected to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
TMX contributed to this article.
