In a dramatic turn of events, Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial in New York took a sideways turn even before it began. Judge Arthur Engoron, who had accused Trump’s legal team of misogyny the previous day, placed a stern gag order on the former president’s lawyers.
The gag order, aimed at Trump attorneys Chris Kise, Alina Habba, and Clifford Robert, prohibits them from making any statements about “internal and confidential communications” with Judge Engoron and his staff. This step was taken after the attorneys made inappropriate remarks about Judge Engoron’s Principal Law Clerk, accusing her of bias and improper influence.
The order was motivated by the need to protect Judge Engoron and his staff from threats and physical harm, given the harassment and threatening messages they have received since the trial began. While existing gag orders only applied to Trump, Judge Engoron decided to expand the order to include his attorneys.
The trial on Friday began with Judge Engoron voicing his concerns about Trump and his legal team repeatedly attacking his law clerk, Allison Greenfield, over perceived bias. The defense attorney, Chris Kise, argued that if there was a perception of bias, it should be acknowledged. Judge Engoron asserted that he did not view the case as political and emphasized his right to receive assistance from his clerk without any bias.
Chris Kise expressed concern about the integrity and impartiality of the judicial system, stating that the entire country was watching the proceedings. He also mentioned an article calling for Greenfield to be disbarred over her political donations to Democrats, which he claimed was delivered to the court that morning. Judge Engoron strongly denied receiving any such information and emphasized that the allegations were mere allegations, not facts.
Christopher Kise, one of Donald Trump’s defense attorneys.
Marco Bello/Reuters
Despite Judge Engoron’s efforts to move the trial forward, tensions between him and Trump’s legal team continued to escalate. Eric Trump eventually took the stand and provided conflicting answers about his father’s Mar-a-Lago estate, leading to further confusion. Relations between Judge Engoron and Trump’s team have deteriorated, with the judge previously fining Trump for his attacks on Greenfield. The trial remains ongoing.
