OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A witness at the civil fraud trial against Donald Trump was arrested after he stood up in the middle of testimony and walked toward the front of the courtroom, where the former president was sitting.
A woman claimed she wanted to help Trump, but the government claimed he and everyone else in the courtroom were safe at all times. The former president and likely 2024 Republican nominee for president did not react in court and later told reporters he was unaware of what had happened, the Associated Press reported.
“Who got arrested?” Trump asked. “We didn’t know anything about it.”
The woman, later revealed to be an employee of the court system, fled after being told by a court officer to take her seat again. After a short time, officers removed her from the courtroom and placed her under arrest for contempt of court, according to court spokesperson Lucian Chalfen.
Chalfen testified that the woman had been shouting to Trump that she wanted to help him, but reporters in the courtroom did not hear her. Officers eventually removed her from the courthouse, but not before the public heard her yelling.
Outside the courtroom, the woman was seen on an NBC camera telling court officers: “You’re scaring me, and I have a right to be here. I’m an American citizen, and I’m also a court employee. I’m also just here to support Donald Trump.”
She went on to say that she had been “peacefully watching this proceeding” and had complied when a court officer told her not to cause “any more problems.”
While authorities investigate, Chalfen said the unidentified woman is on administrative leave and cannot enter state courts.
A woman was placed into a squad car outside New York Superior Court and charged with contempt
Trump appears in courtroom as civil fraud trial continues
A woman identified as an employee of New York’s court system was arrested after approaching the front of a courtroom and pic.twitter.com/DKt0dcC0xC
— 🌊🏴ken keeping(Billy)🌈🎵 (@KeepingKen) October 19, 2023
New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against Trump and his company for allegedly providing false and misleading statements to banks and insurers regarding Trump’s net worth and asset values. Although Engoron has already found fraud on the part of Trump and his company, the trial will still have to deal with claims of conspiracy, insurance fraud, and tampering with business records.
James claims that Trump’s financial statements were pivotal in his ability to secure deals and loans, and testimony and exhibits presented at trial corroborate this.
Trump has denied every allegation made by James. He claims that the true value of his assets is much higher than what was disclosed in the disclaimers that accompanied his financial statements.
State law does not permit a jury in this type of lawsuit, so the case will be decided by Engoron.
During a court break on Wednesday, Trump railed that “the government lied.”
“They didn’t reveal all the evidence that made me totally innocent of anything that they say,” added Trump, who has repeatedly accused James and Democrats of politically targeting him as he mounts a 2024 run for the White House.
James said outside the courtroom that “none of his behavior, which can best be described as performative, will change what’s happening in the courtroom.”
“I will not give in. I will not give up. I will only serve justice and enforce the law,” she said.
The Democratic mayor of Engoron has issued a limited gag order preventing those involved in the case from making negative comments about his employees. The order was issued after Trump, on the second day of the trial, insulted the judge’s law clerk on Twitter.
