Trump Civil Fraud Trial: Closing Arguments to Begin in the Case Accusing Trump of Civil Fraud
Donald J. Trump withdrew from delivering his own closing arguments in his civil fraud trial after refusing to abide by a judge’s restrictions — including barring him from making a “campaign speech” — in the latest clash between the Trump’s political objectives and American legal interests. standards.
Trump, who considers himself his own best spokesperson, planned to address the court during closing arguments on Thursday. But one of his lawyers called the limits imposed by Judge Arthur F. Engoron unacceptable.
The judge said in a recent email exchange with Mr. Trump’s lawyers that while he was inclined to let Mr. Trump speak, the former president, like any lawyer, would be limited to discussing the facts of the case and the relevant law, and barred from attacking the judge, the judge’s staff or the New York attorney general, whose lawsuit against Mr. Trump led to the trial.
These circumstances may have defeated Mr. Trump’s purpose in his speech. As he runs for the White House again while facing a civil lawsuit and four criminal charges, Mr. Trump has sought to turn his legal liabilities into political assets, labeling his accusers as enemies of democracy and labeled things as a coordinated witch hunt.
Judge Engoron – who has repeatedly attacked the former president – warned that he wanted to take his campaign to court and warned that he would immediately silence Trump if he tried to do so again.
“If Mr. Trump violates any of these rules, I will not hesitate to cut him off mid-sentence and admonish him,” Judge Engoron, a Democrat, wrote in an email late last week. “If he continues to break the rules, I will terminate his closing argument and prevent him from making further statements in court.”
Judge Engoron, who has already imposed a limited silence order to prevent Trump and his lawyers from attacking court staff, threatened a fine of at least $50,000 if the former president violated it. The judge also warned that he would “immediately remove him from the courtroom.”
A lawyer for Mr. Trump, Christopher M. Kise, declined to agree, saying the terms were “full of ambiguities” and that barring Mr. Trump from attacking the Democratic attorney general, Letitia James, was ‘simply untenable’.
After several more conversations, Judge Engoron wrote in an email on Wednesday that he assumed Mr. Trump would not agree to the limits, “and therefore he will not speak in court tomorrow.”
Mr. Trump, who planned to testify in his own defense last month but canceled the day before, is still expected to attend closing arguments on Thursday. Judge Engoron’s decision could add significant tension to the proceedings, with lawyers for Mr Trump and Ms James set to outline their respective cases.
Ms. James has argued that Mr. Trump fraudulently inflated his net worth to gain favorable treatment from banks and insurers, and is asking that the former president be fined $370 million and permanently barred from doing business in New York. Mr. Trump’s lawyers have argued that the evidence failed to link the former president to the financial statements that disclosed his net worth, and that the banks benefited from their relationship with him.
This week, Mr. Trump, who is leading the race to become the Republican nominee for president, has sought to turn his legal appearances into de facto campaign stops. But both attempts appear to have failed.
When Trump appeared Tuesday at oral arguments before a federal appeals court on whether he is immune from prosecution, he was unable to attract the attention he has become accustomed to. And Judge Engoron’s proposed limits appear to have prevented him from turning the closing arguments in Ms. James’ case into the kind of spectacle he hoped for.
On Tuesday, Mr. Kise alerted the court to the death of Mr. Trump’s mother-in-law and asked for closing arguments to be postponed until Jan. 29 or later. But Judge Engoron denied the request while expressing his condolences.
The next day, Mr. Kise told the judge that Mr. Trump still planned to speak despite the death of his mother-in-law. When the judge asked whether the former president would adhere to his proposed limits, Mr. Kise responded: “This is very unfair, your honor,” adding that the order would ban Mr. Trump from speaking “about the things that need to be talked about . .”
In the penultimate email in the publicly posted exchange, Judge Engoron said he would not discuss the matter again.
“Take it or leave it,” he wrote in an email at 11:54 a.m., imposing a noon deadline.
Mr Kise missed the deadline.