Judge Arthur Engoron, who is known for his left-leaning views, decided to deny President Trump the opportunity to deliver a closing argument in his civil fraud trial in New York City.
This is just one example of how he has unfairly manipulated the trial against the former president.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking $250 million in damages without any clear victim in this fraud case. Additionally, she aims to prohibit Trump and his sons from conducting business in New York.
Trump had originally planned to personally deliver part of his closing statement during the trial, exercising his constitutional right. However, Engoron imposed vague restrictions that made it impossible for Trump’s legal team to agree.
Engoron stated that Trump would only be allowed to discuss relevant facts and apply relevant laws during his statement, yet, it is evident that he has consistently hindered the disclosure of truth throughout this process.
The judge has previously silenced Trump’s lawyers, fined him for breaching baseless gag orders, and rejected his request for a mistrial. He even berated Trump’s attorneys while they defended him and threatened to imprison him over a post on his social media platform.
Due to Engoron’s blatant bias, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) filed a complaint against him for judicial misconduct.
In October, a New York Appellate Judge temporarily halted Engoron’s order to dissolve the Trump organization.
Given these circumstances, it was clear that Trump’s lawyers would never agree with Engoron’s terms, allowing him to once again censor the former president through manipulative language.
In response to Engoron’s denial, Chris Kise, an attorney representing Trump, expressed that the former president had been unjustly demeaned by an Attorney General driven by political motivations.
Kise argued that Trump should be given an opportunity to address important matters.
He also requested a postponement of the closing arguments due to the passing of Trump’s mother-in-law, Amalija Knavs, with whom he had a close relationship.
However, Engoron insincerely expressed his condolences and denied the request.
He then proceeded to censor Trump one more time using Orwellian language.
Not having heard from you by the third extended deadline (noon today), I assume that Mr. Trump will not agree to the reasonable, lawful limits I have imposed as a precondition to giving a closing statement above and beyond those given by his attorneys, and that, therefore, he will not be speaking in court tomorrow, Engoron wrote.