’s New York fraud trial became heated late Thursday afternoon when Judge Arthur Engoron angrily pounded the table and chastised attorneys for the Trumps, accusing them of disparaging his principal law clerk.
The female clerk has been sitting alongside Engoron throughout the five-week trial to provide advice when asked. Last month, after Donald Trump criticized her on social media, Engoron imposed a gag order on the defendants that bars them from making public comments about any member of the judge’s staff.“Sometimes I think there’s a bit of misogyny in you referring to my female principal law clerk,” the judge reportedly added.
Kise protested, saying he was “not a misogynist” and pointing to the fact he has a teen daughter and a wife, Eric Trump, second from left, appears at New York courthouse alongside attorneys Alina Habba, far left, and Chris Kise, far right.Alina Habba, another Trump attorney, then jumped in with her own criticism of the law clerk, with Habba arguing that she cannot be misogynist because she is a woman herself, per the Times.The Trump attorneys suggested that the clerk might be improperly influencing the judge with notes she passed to him during proceedings.
Donald Trump has been accused of violating the gag order twice so far, prompting $15,000 in fines, and Engoron has threatened to expand the order if it continues to go unheeded.Ex-Federal Prosecutor Damns Donald Trump Jr. With His Own Dad’s CatchphraseBy entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners.