‘Screaming’ Court Staffer Arrested, Trump Told to Simmer Down in Dramatic NY Trial
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Donald Trump’s New York civil fraud trial was filled with even more drama than usual on Wednesday with a court employee arrested for a bizarre outburst, and a judge admonishing Trump for being a little too noisy.
Judge Arthur Engoron, who previously handed Trump a gag order for attacking a court clerk on social media, ordered the former president to quiet down after he expressed frustration and interrupted real estate appraiser Doug Larson’s testimony by speaking loudly to his legal team.
New York State lawyer Kevin Wallace had complained to Engoron, saying that Trump’s “exhortations” were distracting to those on the witness’ side of the room, the Associated Press reported.
Trump’s huffing came after Larson asserted that his valuation of Trump’s Wall Street office, which Trump’s defense lawyer Lazaro Fields claimed was underpriced by $114 million, was “not wrong,” saying it was “what we knew at the time.”
This sparked an argument between both sides, with Trump attorney Christopher Kise accusing Larson of perjury and state lawyer Colleen Faherty countering by suggesting “witness intimidation.”
Trump speaks outside his Manhattan trial on Wednesday.
During a break in the trial, Trump vented his anger, saying, “The government lied… They didn’t reveal all the evidence that made me totally innocent of anything that they say.”
Just a few hours later, a reporter for Law 360 reported that an unnamed woman had “walked up to the front of the [public] gallery, approaching ‘the well’ where Trump was seated.” She was immediately confronted by law enforcement, who told her to return to her seat then later led her out of the courtroom.
In a statement to The Independent, a spokesperson for New York State courts said the woman was a court employee who had since been placed on administrative leave. She was “yelling out to Mr. Trump indicating she wanted to assist him,” the spokesperson said.
“None of the parties were ever in any danger,” the spokesperson added. “The individual was safely escorted out… and has been charged with Contempt of the Court in the 2nd degree, i.e. disrupting a court proceeding.”
AP reported that the employee could be heard “screaming” in the courthouse lobby as she was led out of the building.
The employee has been banned from entering another Unified Court System facility, the spokesperson said. Her identity wasn’t released.
Trump is in court battling a civil lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who accused him and his businesses of financial fraud by overvaluing his assets on legal statements in order to obtain improved loans and insurance. A negative outcome in the trial may mark the downfall of his real estate business.
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