Police summoned to Long Island judge’s residence before ex-president erupts in court, alleging ‘fraud against me
The final day of Donald Trump’s fraud trial sparked chaos in New York on Thursday morning. A bomb squad was dispatched to the residence of the presiding judge, while the courtroom was filled with reporters and spectators eager to witness the trial’s conclusion.
Thursday marked the concluding opportunity for Trump’s legal team to appeal to Judge Arthur Engoron. He is tasked with determining whether Trump will face fines of up to $370 million for fabricating financial statements to exaggerate his net worth.
Prior to the hearing, authorities in Nassau County on Long Island reported addressing a security incident at Engoron’s residence at 5:30 am. Engoron and his team have been subjected to vehement criticism from Trump throughout the case, with his office facing a barrage of death threats.
Wednesday saw another confrontation between Trump’s legal team and Engoron concerning Trump’s unconventional request to present his own closing arguments during the trial. Engoron denied Trump the opportunity to speak, as his lawyers did not assure that he wouldn’t turn it into “a campaign speech” or make disparaging remarks about “myself, my staff, plaintiff, plaintiff’s staff, or the New York state court system.”
Despite this refusal, Trump seized the moment to convey his sentiments. Following a period of silence during his attorneys’ closing arguments, the former president embarked on a tirade.
Addressing the judge, he declared, “I am an innocent man. What occurred here, sir, is a fraud against me.” Trump maintained that he was being targeted by “someone running for office,” alluding to Letitia James, the New York attorney general who initiated the case against him.
Engoron intervened, urging Trump’s lawyers to manage their client. Shortly after, Trump exited the courtroom.
The crowded courthouse evoked memories of pivotal moments in the trial, such as when former Trump fixer Michael Cohen testified in October and Trump himself took the stand in November.
A small faction of anti-Trump demonstrators briefly obstructed traffic in front of the courthouse, brandishing a banner and chanting “No dictators in the USA!”
Trump’s attorney, Christopher Kise, characterized the case as “insane” and contended that James was prosecuting a “victimless” offense.
“If there was a jury in that box, I’d be addressing them right now,” Kise stated as he commenced his closing arguments. The proceeding is a civil trial, meaning Trump would not face imprisonment if found guilty, and a bench trial, indicating that the judge holds the sole authority in deciding the case.
Kise reiterated points that Trump’s legal team had consistently presented during the trial: asserting that lenders did not suffer any harm from the Trump Organization, placing responsibility for the financial statements central to the trial on the company’s accounting firm, and contending that Trump had argued the statements were rendered “worthless” due to a disclaimer accompanying them.
Many of these assertions were dismissed by Engoron in his pre-trial ruling, issued in late September. In that ruling, he also imposed sanctions of $7,500 each on Trump’s lawyers for reiterating arguments he had already rejected.
Unfazed, Kise concluded his presentation by making an appeal to Engoron, suggesting that the judge had imposed a “corporate death penalty” on Trump. Engoron’s pre-trial ruling mandated the revocation of Trump and other defendants’ New York business licenses, preventing them from engaging in real estate activities in the state. Trump’s legal team is currently challenging this decision.
After Kise wrapped up his nearly two-hour address, Engoron humorously remarked, “That was quite a feat of endurance.”
During the prosecution’s closing arguments, state attorney Kevin Wallace asserted, “Fraud was central to the operation of the Trump Organization’s activities.” He reiterated the attorney general’s contentions that the company had misrepresented Trump’s assets, such as falsely inflating the size of Trump’s apartment, for financial gain.
“They cannot assert that Trump’s triplex was, indeed, 30,000 sq ft,” Wallace stated. “Nor can they argue that unsold units at Trump Park Avenue weren’t rent-stabilized.
The timing of Engoron’s verdict remains uncertain, although he has indicated an intention to deliver it by the end of January. Trump faces the prospect of four other trials this year, including criminal proceedings in Washington and Georgia related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Additionally, there is another criminal trial in Florida over mishandling classified documents, and a trial in New York is scheduled for allegedly using campaign funds for hush-money payments to an adult-film star. Trump has entered a not guilty plea in all these cases.
Following the court session, Trump held a press conference at 40 Wall Street, one of the properties whose contested value has been pivotal in the case. “I want to attend all of my trials,” he declared. “These are all orchestrated by Biden and the Democrats. This is their new form of cheating.
