NEW YORK — Barred from giving a formal closing argument, Donald Trump still seized an opportunity to speak in court at the conclusion of his New York civil fraud trial Thursday, unleashing a barrage of attacks and complaints in a six-minute diatribe before being cut off by the judge.
Trump spoke as the judge tried to find out if the former president would follow rules requiring him to keep his remarks focused on matters related to the trial. Instead, Trump defied the judge and launched into his speech.
"We have a situation where I am an innocent man," Trump protested. "I'm being persecuted by someone running for office and I think you have to go outside the bounds."
Judge Arthur Engoron — who earlier denied Trump's extraordinary request to give his own closing statement — let him continue almost uninterrupted for what amounted to a brief personal summation, then cut him off for a scheduled lunch break.
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Trump's in-court remarks, which were not televised, ensured a tumultuous final day for a trial over allegations that he habitually exaggerated his wealth on financial statements, deceiving a bank and insurance companies into giving him plum deals.
Engoron said he hoped to have a verdict by Jan. 31. He is deciding the case because state law doesn’t allow for juries in this type of lawsuit.
New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Trump in 2022 under a state law that gives her broad power to investigate allegations of persistent fraud in business dealings. She wants the judge to impose $370 million in penalties and forbid him from doing business in the state.
Thursday's exchanges took place hours after authorities responded to a bomb threat at the judge's house in New York City's suburbs. The scare didn't delay the start of court proceedings.
Trump, the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination, disparaged Engoron throughout the trial, accusing him in a social media post Wednesday night of working closely with James. She and Engoron are Democrats.
On Wednesday, Engoron rejected an unusual plan by Trump to deliver his own closing remarks in addition to summations from his legal team. The sticking point was that Trump's lawyers would not agree to the judge's demand that he stick to "relevant" matters and not try to introduce new evidence or make a campaign speech.
After three Trump lawyers delivered traditional closing arguments Thursday, one of them, Christopher Kise, asked the judge whether Trump could speak. Engoron asked Trump whether he would abide by the guidelines.
Trump didn't agree to do so, instead launching into his remarks.
"This is a fraud on me. What's happened here, sir, is a fraud on me," Trump said. He later accused the judge of not listening to him. "I know this is boring to you."
"Control your client," Engoron warned Kise.
Engoron then told Trump he had a minute left, let him speak a little more, and then adjourned.
In the afternoon, a lawyer for New York state said in his closing remarks that Trump and his "cash poor" company couldn't have completed various development projects without loans and cash flow from interest savings enabled by spurious financial statements.
"Fraud was central to the operation of the Trump Organization's business," said the attorney, Kevin Wallace. He said Trump and the other defendants intentionally put false information in the company's financial statements.
Trump skipped the afternoon court session in favor of a news conference that served as counter programming to the state's closing argument. He peppered his remarks at a lower Manhattan office building he owns — and could lose control of as a result of the trial — with barbs about President Joe Biden and E. Jean Carroll, a writer who accused him of rape.
The day began with police on Long Island checking out what they called a “swatting incident at Engoron's home. Nassau County police said they found nothing amiss.
Taking the bench a few minutes late, Engoron made no mention of the incident.
The false report came days after a fake emergency call reporting a shooting at the home of the judge in Trump's Washington, D.C., criminal case. The incidents are among a recent spate of similar false reports at the homes of public officials.
Engoron ruled before the trial that Trump had committed years of fraud by lying about his riches on financial statements with tricks like claiming his Trump Tower penthouse was nearly three times its actual size.
The trial involves six undecided claims, including allegations of conspiracy, insurance fraud and falsifying business records. Trump's company and two of his sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., are also defendants. Eric Trump was also in court for closing arguments.
In a ruling last month, the judge suggested he’s inclined to find Trump and his co-defendants liable on at least some claims. Assets can be valued in different ways, the judge wrote, "but a lie is still a lie.”
However, Engoron asked the state lawyers Thursday what evidence they had that Trump's sons knew of the alleged fraud. “I just haven't seen it,” the judge said.
Amer responded that the sons, as top executives, bore responsibility even if they claimed to be unaware of the purported wrongdoing.
Since the trial began Oct. 2, Trump has gone to court nine times to observe, testify and complain to TV cameras about the case.
He clashed with Engoron and state lawyers during 3½ hours on the witness stand in November and remains under a limited gag order after making a disparaging and false social media post about the judge's law clerk.
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