OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
An attorney for former President Donald Trump has indicated that he may look to have a mistrial declared in the New York fraud case against Trump and his business brought by the state’s Attorney General Letitia James.
The attorney, Christopher Kise, cited a report from Breitbart News’s Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle as the basis for the action.
The report claims that the top clerk for New York County Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, Allison Greenfield, “appears to have violated judicial rules preventing officers of the court from making excessive political donations.”
“There’s a news story out [today]…about particular political contributions made by your court staff…it raises questions of impartiality,” the attorney said, Law360’s Stewart Bishop reported.
He said the “defense will have to give serious consideration to seeking a mistrial.”
The judge appeared to have a tantrum at the accusation and got frustrated with the attorney.
“It’s not information, it’s an allegation!” the judge said.
“This idea someone has notified me, absolutely untrue, absolutely untrue,” he said before casting aspersions at the news organization,”…I’ll let everyone in the room think what they will about Breitbart.”
The Breitbart News report claimed that the judge was informed of the possible violation in a complaint filed by a third party.
“It appears Engoron was advised of Greenfield’s violations in a 72-page complaint addressed to his court via email that was also filed with the New York State Bar Association the same day he decided to issue a gag order against former President Donald Trump in his case currently playing out in Engoron’s Manhattan courtroom,” the report said.
The report claimed that “in 2022 alone, Greenfield gave thousands of dollars” in political contributions that allegedly exceeded a $500 threshold for court officials in aggregate donations for a calendar year.
The report said:
The donations, which can be found in New York’s elections database, total several thousand dollars. She gave $200 to the Four Freedoms Democratic Club in New York on May 2, 2022. She gave $175 to the Chelsea Reform Democratic Club in New York on April 5, 2022—and gave that group another $210 on July 25, 2022. She gave $350 to the West Side Democrats, Inc. in New York on June 15, 2022. She gave $50 more to New Yorkers For Alex Bores on Sept. 8, 2022. On Oct. 26, 2022, she gave another $50 to the Four Freedoms Democratic Club. On Sept. 12, 2022, Greenfield gave $100 to the Grand Street Democrats.
On Dec. 2, 2022, Greenfield gave another $100 to Hell’s Kitchen Democrats. On Nov. 10, 2022, and on Nov. 21, 2022, Greenfield gave $250 each time to Downtown Independent Democrats. On Sept. 6, 2022, she gave $250 to Village Independent Democrats. On Dec. 27, 2022, Greenfield gave $500 to the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club. She gave that group another $500 spread over two $250 donations back on June 1, 2022, as well. On March 3, 2022, she gave $50 to Sivin for New York.
On March 10, 2022, Greenfield gave another $100 to Sivin for New York. On May 15, 2022, she gave another $125 to Sivin for New York. She gave $25 to the New York County Democratic Committee on Feb. 13, 2022. She gave the New York County Democratic Committee another $50 on July 17, 2022.
“It’s a disgrace. And many members of the family are under a gag order, so they can’t even defend themselves,” Ohio Republican Sen. J.D. Vance said on X, formerly Twitter, about the allegations.
“What these corrupt Democrats are trying to do to the Trump family in New York is something straight out of a 3rd world banana republic,” Bernie Moreno, a Republican Ohio Senate candidate, added.
