Former President Donald Trump has been barred from making his own closing statements in the New York City civil trial against him, liberal judge Arthur Engoron ruled Wednesday.
Trump had planned to deliver part of the closing statement himself in the fraud trial, which is his constitutional right.
But Engoron told Trump’s attorneys in an email exchange that the former president would have had to limit his court statement to “what is permissible in a counsel’s closing argument, that is, commentary on the relevant, material facts that are in evidence, and application of the relevant law to those facts.”
Trump’s team did not agree to Engoron’s arbitrary terms.
JUST IN:
Emails between Trump’s legal team and Judge Engoron expose how Corrupt Engoron is and how he’s motivated by his hatred of President Trump.
The crooked, communist NYC judge Arthur Engoron who is overseeing President Trump’s Civil Fraud trial in NYC just denied… pic.twitter.com/Pb6x5HIWOe
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) January 10, 2024
CBS News suggested Engoron was just looking out for Trump’s “legal interest” by muzzling him from making a closing statement.
It’s unusual for a defendant to speak during closing arguments, especially when they have lawyers working for them, according to former Manhattan prosecutor Diana Florence. She said the legal arguments in the court record are important for appeals, and a lawyer understands “the issues in the case” and wants “to set up the best appeal possible.”
“Trump’s doing this for the court of public opinion and for the MAGA community, and that may not be consistent with what’s in his best legal interest in this particular case,” Florence said.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking $370 million in “damages” for claiming Trump inflated the value of numerous properties to obtain favorable bank loan terms.
She also wants to ban Trump and his sons from operating any businesses in New York.
This is just the latest in a long string of examples of Engoron’s political bias against Trump.
Trump lambasted “runaway judge” Engoron’s “rigged” fraud trial in a video statement posted to Truth Social on Wednesday.
No Jury, Judge Engoron Continues to Wage a Corrupt and Rigged Case Against Me! pic.twitter.com/tkeCaofXFr
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 10, 2024