Judge threatens to throw Trump out of court over 'speeches'
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The Manhattan judge overseeing the $250 million civil case threatening Donald Trump’s New York real estate empire warned he would throw the former president out of court Monday if he didn’t stop making speeches from the witness stand.
Trump, 77, began his testimony Monday morning in Manhattan Supreme Court, and for the first hour repeatedly gave long-winded answers to what Justice Arthur Engoron called simple “yes or no questions.”
“We got another speech,” Engoron said to Trump’s lawyers at one point.
“I would beseech you to control him if you can. If you can’t, I will,” the judge continued.
“I will excuse him and draw every negative inference that I can.”
The mood in the Lower Manhattan courtroom was tense from the outset of Trump’s testimony, with the 2024 Republican presidential front-runner interjecting his opinions about the case more than once.
Things slowly began escalating after Engoron early on said Kevin Wallace — a lawyer with New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office, which is bringing the case against Trump — was “being very patient” despite some of Trump’s uncooperative answers.
When Wallace asked Trump whether his 2014 “statement of financial condition” was “true and accurate,” Trump, who wore a dark blue suit and light blue tie, answered, “I hope so.”
The AG’s lawsuit alleges that from 2011 through 2021, Trump inflated his assets by billions a year on these statements of financial condition in order to get an edge on loan and insurance terms.
Trump gave a range of answers when grilled about the statements — including, “Well, let’s see,” and later, “I guess so. I really can’t answer that” — which the judge said were unresponsive.
Trump at one point made a mocking face and squinted at the judge, saying Engoron “always rules against me.”
“You can attack me, you can do whatever you want, but just answer the questions,” the judge snapped back.
“I would like to move things along faster,” Engoron continued. “Please just answer the questions, no speeches.”
The judge, who is deciding the case, at one point snapped at the former president’s attorneys to “control your client.”
“This is not a political rally,” the jurist added. “I have asked the witness several times to answer the questions.”
“We’ll be here forever” if Trump continues at this pace, the exasperated judge said.
Trump lawyer Alina Habba argued that her client should be able to give long answers like Michael Cohen — Trump’s former personal attorney and “fixer” — did when he testified against his former longtime boss two weeks ago. Habba also said Wallace should ask “better questions.”
But Engoron bellowed at Habba to “sit down.”
Trump then interjected: “This is a very unfair trial, very very. And I hope the public is watching it.”
When Wallace asked Trump about the $550 million valuation on a 2014 statement of his soaring Financial District property at 40 Wall St., the GOP presidential candidate said he believed it was worth even more.
“That building, you just look at it, and you say it’s worth a lot more than $550 million,” Trump said, suggesting the prosecutor “put up a picture” of the building.
The AG’s office did not pull up a picture of the building.
The real estate tycoon also explained during one rant why he thinks that his 2014 financial filing actually undervalued his assets.
“The statement is much less valuable in terms of the dollar amount to the actuality of the wealth or the worth,” Trump said, adding to Wallace: “It was the opposite of your case.”
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