Donald Trump, the former president, blasted Judge Arthur Engoron outside the courtroom where his fraud trial is taking place. He ignored inquiries on his comments from last night’s debate and his use of the term “dictator.”
Trump’s trial in the fraud lawsuit that New York Attorney General Letitia James filed is being overseen by Judge Engoron. Throughout the trial, Trump has made numerous appearances and taken advantage of many occasions to vent to media in between sessions.
Reporters bombarded Trump during his court appearance on Thursday morning with questions about the candidates “taking shots” at him during the debate on Wednesday night and his recent declaration that he would be a “dictator” on “day one,” but Trump had other ideas.
“What’s your reaction to the governors taking shots at you yesterday?” a reporter posed to Trump. Yesterday, the president performed admirably. How do you feel about the governor?
“Many thanks for it. Everyone is. This is a witch hunt that most people have never witnessed before. In addition, there are murders occurring outside on every street. They are being killed. This attorney general is insane, as is the violent crime. She is insane.
The attorney general. Sincere because she knows that she has a judge in the matter. With all the evidence that you have, that judge is going to rule in their favor. He ruled against me before the case even started. The case had started. He knew nothing, and he ruled against me,” Trump declared.
“The other thing is, this is an oral argument. I’m sure it was what was good for her case. And the value of $18 million when, in fact, it’s worth anywhere from 50 to 100 times that amount. Nobody’s ever seen anything like it. But just remember what I said at the beginning. We won at the appellate division, and this judge refuses to honor that victory or that decision for that demand. Thank you very much,” Trump added.
Trump filed an appeal with the New York Court of Appeals less than a week after a lower court maintained the gag order imposed on him by the state judge supervising his civil fraud case.
According to The Washington Examiner, because of social media statements that made reference to Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron and his staff, Trump has been under a gag order from the first several weeks of his trial, which started in October. The Examiner pointed out that Trump’s filing, which made its appearance on the docket of the New York Appellate Division, First Judicial Department on Monday, disclosed the former president’s intention to appeal the decision of the lower court to the highest court in the state.
“Engoron contends his principal law clerk, Allison Greenfield, has sustained harassing and antisemitic messages ever since Trump posted a picture of her with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and referred to her as his ‘girlfriend’ on Oct. 4, the second day of the civil fraud trial against the Trump Organization,” the outlet explained.
“Trump was ordered to delete the social media post and entered a gag order against him that day. Engoron has ruled Trump has violated the order twice and fined him a total of $15,000 so far, a fee Trump has already paid out,” the report continued. “The order has since been expanded to block Trump’s attorneys from commenting about his communications with the clerk, who sits next to Engoron during the trial.”
Apart from the federal and state accusations that he faces, Trump is also fighting a court battle to prevent his name from being on the ballot in multiple states in 2024.
A long list of parties, including more than a dozen attorneys general from Republican-controlled states, have submitted briefs in a legal challenge against former president Donald Trump’s constitutional ability to run for office in Colorado in 2024.