New York Attorney General Letitia James responded to former President Donald Trump’s abrupt exit from a Manhattan court, where he was subsequently fined $10,000 in a day filled with legal drama.
In a sensational moment on Wednesday afternoon at the New York State Supreme Court, the former President raised his arms in frustration and abruptly left the courtroom.
This dramatic exit followed testimony from Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer turned adversary, in which Cohen stated that Trump did not instruct him to exaggerate the values of his properties.
Trump exited the courtroom and addressed waiting reporters, saying, “The witness has just acknowledged our victory in this trial, and I believe the judge should terminate it immediately. Thank you.”
Following the eventful day in court, Attorney General Letitia James responded to Trump, refuting the idea that Cohen had undermined the state’s case.
Speaking outside the court, she said: ‘This has been a four year investigation, and there is mountains of evidence which basically corroborate the testimony of a number of witnesses.
‘It’s also important to know that Michael Cohen is not the main witness. His evidence has been corroborated by the mountains of evidence, enough evidence to fill the courtroom.
‘And so I look forward again to this trial continuing. And I look always, and I have, of course, I always look forward to justice. Thank you very much.
‘There is sufficient evidence to prove that, in fact, Mr. Trump, the Trump Organization and the other defendants committed widespread fraud.’
Cohen’s admission, in contrast to his previous testimony, led defense attorney Clifford Robert to request a directed verdict, contending that this statement warranted dismissal.
Judge Arthur Engoron firmly rejected this request, stating it was “absolutely denied” and emphasized the abundance of evidence in the case. He also noted that he did not regard Cohen as a “key witness.”
‘There’s enough evidence in this case to fill this courtroom,’ the judge said.
Trump’s exit occurred following his second fine for breaching a gag order.
Judge Engoron imposed a $10,000 fine on the former President after concluding that his statements to reporters during a trial break had violated a recently issued partial gag order.
Subsequently, on Wednesday after the lunch recess, Judge Engoron summoned Trump to the stand to provide an explanation for his remarks.
Speaking outside the courtroom earlier that morning, Trump had told reporters: ‘This judge is a very partisan judge, with a person who’s very partisan sitting alongside of him, perhaps even much more partisan than he is,’ – an apparent reference to his clerk Allison Greenfield.
With a deliberate motion, Trump rose from his seat located between his attorneys and took a place in the witness box. He adjusted himself before addressing his comments.
Echoing his lawyer’s previous assertions, Trump informed the judge that he had been referring to his former fixer, Michael Cohen, during his remarks, not Greenfield.
He explained that the comment about partisans was directed at “you and Cohen,” as he conveyed to the judge, who ultimately deemed his testimony “not credible.”
‘The idea that that statement would refer to the witness, that doesn’t make sense to me,’ Engoron said, warning: ‘Don’t do it again or it will be worse.’
Before the lunch break, Judge Engoron had temporarily halted the proceedings to reprimand Trump for his statements, describing it as a ‘clear and perilous defiance’ of his court order.
Five days prior, Trump had incurred a $5,000 fine after Judge Engoron discovered that a problematic social media post from early October had remained on Trump’s campaign website for weeks, despite having been removed – as per the judge’s instructions – from Trump’s Truth Social media platform.
Addressing the issue again on Wednesday, Judge Engoron said he imposed the order because ‘I don’t want anybody killed.’
