Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron reportedly received a bomb threat at his home ahead of closing arguments on Thursday in former President Trump’s $370 million civil fraud trial.
Officials with the Office of Court Administration confirmed that the threat was received Thursday morning at the judge’s home in Nassau County. The trial still went forward as planned.
“There was a threat. I can confirm a bomb threat,” Al Baker, a court spokesperson, said according to The Hill.
“We will add extra levels of security out of concern for Justice Engoron’s safety. At this moment we expect the proceedings to go forward as planned,” Baker assured the New York Post.
(Video Credit: MSNBC)
Authorities are claiming that the judge was “swatted.”
“The Nassau County Police Department confirmed that cops responded to a ‘swatting incident’ — or a bogus threat made to police to spark their dangerous response — at a Great Neck home around 5:30 a.m. before clearing the threat,” the New York Post stated.
Trump’s attorneys had requested that Engoron delay closing arguments following the passing of Amalija Knavs, the former president’s mother-in-law and his wife Melania Trump’s mother.
The judge cold-heartedly denied the request. He asserted that it would cause too much disruption to court staff. Then he hollowly offered his condolences to Trump.
Trump’s mother-in-law died this morning. A brief pause was requested for grief.
Judge Engoron denied this request.
But Trump is the bad mean man right?pic.twitter.com/GjU1UHAZ4w— Kevin Sorbo (@ksorbs) January 10, 2024
Trump savaged the judge and New York Attorney General Letitia James in a Truth Social post on Wednesday.
“I AM HEADING TO THE GREAT STATE OF IOWA TO FULFILL A COMMITMENT MADE TO DO A BIG FOXNEWS TOWN HALL. TONIGHT, 9:00 P.M. Eastern! I WILL THEN BE FORCED TO CIRCLE BACK TO NEW YORK WHERE I WOULD LIKE TO PERSONALLY DO THE CLOSING ARGUMENT ON THE CIVIL TRIAL WHERE THE TRUMP HATING JUDGE AND ATTORNEY GENERAL ARE WORKING CLOSELY TOGETHER TO “SCREW ME,” EVEN THOUGH I HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG. THIS IS A RIGGED AND UNFAIR TRIAL — NO JURY, NO VICTIMS, A GREAT FINANCIAL STATEMENT — JUST BEFORE THE IMPORTANT IOWA PRIMARY — ELECTION INTERFERENCE. JUDGE REFUSES TO ABIDE BY THE JUNE APPELLATE DIVISION DECISION WHICH GAVE ME A TOTAL VICTORY IN THIS WITCH HUNT! MEAN & NASTY…” the former president wrote on Truth Social.
The judge blocked Trump from giving closing remarks in his case as well. He did so because the former president and his attorneys would not agree to his conditions.
“Engoron said that Trump would have to agree on the record to abide by the same limits that lawyers must follow — but Trump lawyer Christopher Kise said he would advise against his client agreeing to the limitations, which he claimed were unfair,” the New York Post noted.
“In an email chain for the request last week, Engoron said he would permit Trump to make his closing argument if he agreed on the record to ‘limit his subjects’ to what’s permissible in a lawyer’s closing argument. He added that if Trump violated any rules, he wouldn’t hesitate to ‘cut him off mid-sentence and admonish him,’ end his closing argument or fine him if he violated the gag order,” The Hill wrote.
The email exchange between the judge and Trump’s attorney was hostile, to say the least.
#Breaking News: Judge Arthur Engoron has decided that Donald Trump will not be allowed to give a closing argument in the civil fraud trial in New York.
The prosecution has been asking the Judge not to let Trump speak or defend himself in closing arguments, and the judge said… pic.twitter.com/9PUIThDGoo
— Travis (@Travis_in_Flint) January 10, 2024
“You are not allowing President Trump, who has been wrongfully demeaned and belittled by an out of control, politically motivated Attorney General, to speak about things that must be spoken about,” Trump attorney Chris Kise wrote in his email to Engoron according to NBC News.
Engoron tersely responded, “Take it or leave it. Now or never,” and gave Kise just seven minutes to agree to his terms. The attorney did not bother to respond.
“I WOULD LIKE TO PERSONALLY DO THE CLOSING ARGUMENT,” Trump further stated on his social media platform. “THIS IS A RIGGED UNFAIR TRIAL.”
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