Judge Reprimands Trump: “Stop Commenting During the Witness’ Testimony”

William FurneyOct 22, 2023

Minute Read

A judge overseeing Donald Trump’s civil fraud case in New York has told the billionaire property developer and former president to shut up and be quiet while in his courtroom, as he ordered him to pay thousands for a violation.

A Judge’s Fury

Judge Arthur Engoron was irate that Trump and his lawyers kept talking and gesturing during proceedings — and later fined Trump $5,000 for breaking a gag order he had slapped on the Republican presidential nominee.

Expressing Himself

Image Credit: Joe Tabacca / Shutterstock.

At one point during a hearing, Trump was speaking with lawyer Alina Habba and then threw his hands into the air, drawing puzzled looks from those in attendance, reporters noticed. The defense, they reported, as well as the judge were not impressed by the physical outburst.

Prosecutor Request

Prosecution lawyer Kevin Wallace, acting for New York Attorney General Letitia James, pleaded with the Judge Engoron to quieten down Trump.

“Can the defendant please stop commenting during the witness’ testimony?” he asked, arguing that Trump’s endless chatter and body movements may be aimed at disrupting witnesses.

Trump Organization on Trial

Image Credit: Eric Urquhart / Shutterstock.

The case concerns allegations of fraud committed over many years by the Trump Organization. Trump’s adult sons and senior executives at the property firm have also been charged. Judge Engoron has ruled that there is “convincing evidence” that wrongdoing was committed at the company, particularly concerning inflated valuations of various properties, including Trump Tower, where the ex-president stays when in New York.

A Property Firm in Peril

Trump faces losing control of his company at a time when he is campaigning to return to the White House, in next year’s election. Judge Engoron has revoked the trading licenses of some of the Trump Organization’s businesses and prosecutors are seeking a fine of at least $250 million.

Trump Gag Order

Judge Engoron placed a gag order on Trump after the former president made disparaging remarks online about one of the court’s clerks, but Trump appeared to ignore it and was fined $5,000 — a nominal amount for a “first-time violation,” said the court.

“I ordered him to remove the post immediately, and he said he did take it down. Despite this order, last night I learned the offending post was never removed from a website. This is a blatant violation of the gag order. I made it clear [that] failure to comply will result in serious sanctions,” the judge said.

Possible Jail Time

The judge warned that he would not hesitate to throw Trump in jail if he continued to flout the gag order.

“Make no mistake: future violations, whether intentional or unintentional, will subject the violator to far more severe sanctions, which may include steeper financial penalties, holding Donald Trump in contempt of court, and possibly imprisoning him,” Engoron said.

Another Gag Order

A judge in another case, relating to election interference, has also slapped a gag order on Trump after he again hit out at people involved in the case in comments on social media. Trump has made it clear he has no time for such orders.

“I shouldn’t have a protective order placed on me because it would impinge upon my right to FREE SPEECH,” said Trump, who was impeached twice as president, on his Truth Social platform.

Four Indictments and 91 Charges

Aside from Trump’s fraud trial in New York, the former president is also fighting 91 federal charges wrapped up in four indictments. The election interference case alleges that Trump tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden. It also claims Trump worked to block the peaceful transfer of power.

Classified Documents Case

Trump has also been indicted for removing confidential government files from the White House and sharing them with others. Prosecutors have released photographs of boxes of alleged top-secret files that piled up in various rooms of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort home in Florida. The charge carries a maximum jail time of 20 years in prison.

Favorite for Republican Nomination

Image Credit: danielfela / Shutterstock.

Republican voters are seemingly keen to not punish Trump over his legal woes, as polls consistently show the candidate for the party nomination for president far ahead of his rivals.

Trump Tops the Polls

Trump is polling at just under 60 percent of voter support compared to around 10 percent for Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor who was once his main opponent. If he wins the primaries, early next year, Trump may face off against President Biden, should the latter get the Democratic nod for the 2024 race.