Trump clashes with judge in civil fraud trial
Former US President Donald Trump
Former President Donald Trump clashed with a New York judge on Tuesday as he testified in a civil fraud trial brought against him by state Attorney General Letitia James.
Trump, who is accused of inflating the value of his assets to obtain loans and other financial benefits, was repeatedly interrupted by Judge Arthur Engoron as he made long and digressive answers to questions from James’s lawyers.
At one point, Engoron told Trump’s lawyers to “control him” and said that “this isn’t a political rally.”
Trump also accused Engoron of being biased against him, saying that the judge was making rulings that were “unfair” and “unprecedented.”
The clash between Trump and Engoron is the latest in a series of contentious moments in the trial. Last week, Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. was also fined $10,000 for violating a court order by discussing the case with the media.
The trial is expected to continue for several more weeks.
Here are some of the key moments from Trump’s testimony:
- Trump accused James of being a “political hack” who was motivated by “hatred” of him.
- Trump said that he had never inflated the value of his assets and that he had always been “honest” in his business dealings.
- Trump repeatedly claimed that the trial was a “witch hunt” and a “hoax.”
- Trump said that he was being “persecuted” by the media and the political establishment.
It is unclear how Trump’s testimony will impact the outcome of the trial. However, it is clear that the former president is not going down without a fight.