Judge hits Donald Trump with gag order over wild attacks

Donald Trump has been issued with a targeted gag order after repeatedly attacking the judge and other court officials involved in his civil fraud trial.

Donald Trump has been hit with a targeted gag order after repeatedly attacking the judge and other court officials involved in his civil fraud trial in New York.

On the second day of his trial, having already launched several angry broadsides at those connected to the case, the former US president mocked the court’s clerk on his social media platform in a post that he was forced to delete.

Former US president Donald Trump outisde court on the second day of his civil fraud trial in New York. Picture: AFP

Judge Arthur Engoron later explained the incident in court and declared: “Personal attacks on members of my court staff are unacceptable, inappropriate, and I will not tolerate them under any circumstances.”

“Consider this statement a gag order forbidding all parties from posting, emailing or speaking publicly about any members of my staff,” he reportedly said, threatening that “failure to abide by this will result in serious sanctions”.

It came as Mr Trump opened the second day of his historic fraud trial with a wild attack on the court, the attorney general, and the judge overseeing the civil case.

Leaving no player in the courtroom drama unturned, the former US president unleashed in a series of social media posts and a pre-trial statement in New York

“Her numbers are fraudulent — she’s a fraud,” Mr Trump said of Attorney-General Letitia James.

Former US President Donald Trump arrives for the second day of his civil fraud case. Picture: AFP

Trump claimed attorney general Letitia James committed “fraud” by understating the value of his wealth. Picture: AFP

“And this case should be dismissed,” he continued before walking into the courtroom to begin the day’s session.

Mr Trump added that Ms James had given the court false and misleading information “by a very corrupt and incompetent attorney general”, who he said in earlier social media posts should be “reprimanded and sanctioned”.

In a lengthy tirade, Mr Trump claimed Ms James had herself committed “fraud” and election interference, and called on Judge Arthur Engoron to dismiss the case because his wealth was “worth far more” than she claimed.

“Now that it has been agreed in Court that Mar-a-Lago is WORTH 50 to 100 times the Value the Racist & Incompetent Attorney-General of New York State, Letitia “Peekaboo” James, ascribed to it (18 Million Dollars), & likewise other assets that were valued crazily low by this “Monster” that has allowed Violent Crime in New York to reach EPIDEMIC levels, and dangerous illegal migrants to roam free all over our State, we hope the Judge will TERMINATE his first ruling of fraud in that he was given false and ridiculous information by the Trump Deranged Lunatic, A.G. James,” he railed.

“In actuality, I am WORTH FAR MORE than the numbers put down on the Financial Statements, not less.”

James is seeking US $250 million in fines and the removal of Trump and his two sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr., from management of the Trump Organisation.

Judge Engoron has already ruled that fraud was committed by inflating the value of the company’s real estate and financial assets by $812 million to $2.2 billion between 2014 and 2021.

Donald Trump flanked by his legal team in court. Picture: AFP

The judge has already revoked the business licenses that allowed the Trump Organisation to operate some of its New York properties, the equivalent of the “corporate death penalty.”

Mr Trump, who was not required to attend the civil trial but chose to do so, confirmed speculation that he would testify during the trial “at the appropriate time”.

“I think it’s going very well,” Mr Trump said during a break in proceedings. “Everybody was given financial statements, the financial statements are extremely strong, the assets are much more valuable as opposed to less valuable than are in the statements.”

The leading candidate for the Republican Party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential election confirmed he would testify ‘at the appropriate time’. Picture: AFP

The leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination previewed the testimony he planned to give, saying the institutions he’s said to have defrauded by inflating the value of his properties to secure loans were “paid off, paid up”.

“It was done. They made money. They had no fraud. There was absolutely no fraud. They all made money, they’re all happy, 100 per cent happy,” Mr Trump said, before adding it was the responsibility of lenders not to rely on valuations made by the Trump Organisation.

“You have to do your own due diligence, and you have to above all do your own research and analysis, do not rely on anything, do not rely on the financial statement,” he said of the documents at the centre of the fraud case, before adding: “Also the financial statements are very strong”.

Originally published as Judge hits Donald Trump with gag order over wild attacks