Former President Donald Trumpās Thursday courtroom tirade could backfire, legal experts warn.
Trump attorney Chris Kise asked Judge Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing Trumpās New York fraud trial, to allow Trump to speak on his own behalf during closing arguments. Engoron asked Trump if he would agree to stick to the facts and relevant law but the former president launched into a lengthy diatribe, accusing the judge and New York Attorney General Letitia James of waging a āpolitical witch huntā and demanding ādamagesā because the real āfraud is on me.ā
During one portion of his rant, Trump referred to a key allegation in Jamesā lawsuit alleging that the former presidentās Trump Tower penthouse was valued at three times larger than it actually is.
āThey made a mistake. It was an honest mistake,ā Trump said.
Jamesā team allowed Trump to speak until the judge ultimately shut him down and pleaded for Kise to ācontrol your client.ā
āThere may be a reason that Jamesā staff didnāt interrupt,ā wrote NBC News legal analyst Lisa Rubin. āThe AGās office may have struck gold because some of what Trump said was so damaging to him, especially his explanation of the triplex square footage āerror.āā
Brilliant play, Justice Engoron.
"Former federal prosecutor Kristy Greenberg, who was in the courtroom, told CNN she was stunned to āsee somebody have so much disrespectā for the judge and the court.
"The attacks on ā the personal attacks on the judge ā this is a judge who had a bomb threat this morning. Thatās why the amount of security that was in the courthouse was unlike anything I have seen. and I have been other days when various Trump family members have testified, and this was heightened. They were very concerned about threats,ā she said.
"Iām waiting for the judge to tell him āYouāre done and if you continue youāll be held in contempt!āā she added. āThatās what happened to me and any other lawyers happening in courts and it was not done.ā
Engoron is expected to issue a ruling by Jan. 31."
I think it was doubly-brilliant by Engoron because now Orange Hitler canāt say he didnāt get a chance to speak.
Pretty sure heāll still say it.
When has reality ever mattered to him (or his supporters) before?