NEW YORK – On Wednesday, following a judge’s determination that the former president had breached a limited gag order in his civil fraud trial, Donald Trump was summoned to the witness stand and subsequently fined $10,000. This marked the second instance within a week where Trump faced penalties for his remarks outside the courtroom.
Before the imposition of the latest fine, Judge Arthur Engoron called upon Trump to testify regarding his earlier comments to the press concerning “a person who’s very partisan sitting alongside” the judge. Trump and his legal representatives clarified that the comment referred to witness Michael Cohen, a former Trump attorney, and not the clerk. Trump emphasized in court that his mention of partisans was directed at “you and Cohen.”
However, Trump did not hide his frustration with the clerk, stating, “I think she’s very biased against us, I think we’ve made that clear.”
Judge Engoron had previously instructed all trial participants not to publicly comment on his staff, following a Trump social media post that criticized the clerk. Although Trump had complied with the order to remove the post, it had remained on his campaign website for weeks, resulting in a $5,000 fine last Friday.
Three of Trump’s attorneys raised objections to the $10,000 fine and reiterated Trump’s assertion of the clerk’s bias.
Earlier on the same day, Michael Cohen took the witness stand once more as the defense team sought to undermine his credibility and question his motives. With Trump present, his lawyer Alina Habba confronted Cohen with his previous remarks praising Trump, before his stance shifted when Cohen’s legal issues began in 2018.
Habba attempted to suggest that Cohen had unsuccessfully pursued a position in Trump’s White House – a claim Cohen denied – and questioned whether he harbored “significant animosity” toward Trump.
Cohen, acknowledging his animosity, affirmed, “Yes, I do.”
Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Cohen, had faced federal prosecution in 2018 and had admitted guilt for various charges including tax evasion, making false statements on a bank loan application, lying to Congress, and making illegal campaign contributions to Trump’s campaign.
Cohen is a crucial witness in the civil case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who alleges that Trump consistently inflated the value of his real estate assets on financial documents. Trump denies any wrongdoing and accuses James of partisan targeting.
During his testimony, Cohen asserted that he and key executives at Trump’s company had inflated the estimated values of their employer’s assets to align with a net worth set by Trump himself.
In the cross-examination, Habba emphasized Cohen’s federal criminal convictions and sought to portray him as a liar, particularly in light of his admission that he had previously lied under oath. Cohen attempted to present his actions as a matter of omissions and failure to correct paperwork.
Outside the courtroom, Trump criticized the trial as a “pure political witch hunt” but expressed satisfaction with its progress, stating, “We have the facts on our side.” Trump is anticipated to testify later in the trial, having voluntarily attended several days of the proceedings.
Cohen is also expected to be a critical prosecution witness in an upcoming criminal trial against Trump scheduled for the following spring, where he is accused of falsifying business records. This case is one of four criminal prosecutions Trump is facing in New York, Florida, Georgia, and Washington.