Posted on 10/20/2023 9:38:07 AM PDT by Red Badger
New York — The judge in former President Donald Trump's civil fraud trial lashed out at him this morning for failing to remove from his campaign website a derogatory post about the judge's clerk.
The post, which was spotted Thursday by liberal PAC website MeidasTouch, was a duplicate of one posted to Trump's social media site on Oct. 3, and deleted soon after New York Judge Arthur Engoron issued a limited gag order, barring Trump from posting or speaking publicly about the judge's staff.
The campaign replication of the deleted post has since also been removed, but Engoron appeared quite angry Friday.
He asked Trump's lawyers why he shouldn't impose "serious" sanctions, "including financial sanctions" "or possibly imprisoning him."
Trump attorney Christopher Kise apologized and said it was an errant oversight, arguing that it was "truly inadvertent," due to the presidential campaign's "machinery" replicating the post on its website. Kise said there haven't been any subsequent postings about the clerk or other court staff.
Kise said there haven't been any subsequent postings about the clerk or other court staff.
Engoron didn't immediately seem swayed. Donald Trump is still responsible for the large machine," Engoron told him.
Engoron did not say if Trump will face sanctions, but that he was taking Kise's defense under advisement.
Later, after a mid-morning break, Kise addressed the removed post again. He said the post was only highlighted by the campaign to an email list of roughly 25,810 people who work in media, and that ultimately a fraction of that number visited the post on the campaign website.
"Between Oct. 3 and Oct. 19, there were a little over 114 million visitors to the campaign website. Only 3,701 viewed – they're called unique views – viewed the post. That would include anyone that received the email," Kise said.
"Well, you and I are both becoming more tech savvy," Engoron replied.
A spokesperson for the campaign did not reply to a request for comment.
Tensions have been high this week in the case, in which Trump, his adult sons and The Trump Organization are accused of overvaluing Trump's properties and net worth in an alleged scheme to get favorable loans and insurance that benefited them at least $250 million.
The judge issued a ruling last month finding that Trump and his company "repeatedly" violated state fraud law. Trump and the other defendants have all denied wrongdoing in the case. Their attorneys have argued that what James' office calls fraud were subjective valuations of property and wealth.
On Thursday, an attorney for New York Attorney General Letitia James could be heard during a sidebar calling Kise "rude."
The day before, two of James' attorneys yelled at Kise when he said they didn't care about a witness's right against self incrimination.
That altercation played out in front of Trump, who is not required to attend the trial, but did so on Tuesday and Wednesday. Moments before James' attorneys yelled at Kise, they had asked Engoron to admonish Trump, saying he was intimidating the witness, loudly expressing frustration at testimony, shaking his head back and forth and throwing his hands in the air.
Engoron obliged, looking toward Trump's team and saying, "I 'll ask everyone to be quiet while the witness is testifying."
Engoron the Moron..................
Infringement on American civil rights by government employees should result in the death penalty. That is needed to avoid a civil war.
What about posts on either site by an individual, even a campaign employee, done not at the direction of Trump. Simply expressing an opinion. I understand an opinion from an employee of the law firms would be a problem, but a campaign worker?
Put another way, I assume an opinion expressed by myself would be OK. If at some point I become a volunteer or paid worker (not happening) would the gag order apply to me. That seems like a stretch. Just asking, I understand that’s not happening here, it was Trump’s comment.
Easy. He’s a Democrat.......................
As I said, enough opposition to possibly seed a small civil war.
They are laying all sorts of traps for “constructive” crimes.
The judge is like a rabid dog.
**************
His behavior is disgusting.
They want Trump behind bars so bad they can taste it........................
The puke judge should be removed from the case, he’s biased against Trump and his chief assistant is involved in a relationship with Schumer.
Trump’s lawyer should have responded: 1st Amendment and any such penalty will be met with civil action once a superior court overturns the ruling.
Watch what happens.
Are you assuming their gender?!
Homey don’t play dat!.................
Malicious pettiness personified.
“Sorry, I thought gender was a matter of opinion. ;^)”
Just like the judge setting property values as a matter of opinion.
Right wing reporter broadcasts/writes the he was having lunch with Trump and in a private conversation he says terrible things about each of these people. Then what?
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