New York Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron, the judge who received recent praise from former President Donald J. Trump for his actions in dismissing what Trump claimed to be “eighty percent” of the case against him, has issued a gag order against Trump.
This move comes in response to the 45th President’s public criticism of Engoron’s law clerk, both in statements to the press and on social media.
As reported by CNBC, Engoron conveyed to the Trump legal team on the second day of the ongoing fraud trial, “Consider this statement as a gag order applying to all parties involved, prohibiting any discussions or public remarks regarding any member of my staff.”
Judge Engoron has issued a gag order in the Trump civil fraud trial after Trump posted about the judge’s clerk.
Engoron: “Consider this statement a gag order forbidding all parties from posting emailing or speaking publicly about any of my staff.”— erica orden (@eorden) October 3, 2023
Politico legal reporter Erica Orden noted that Judge Engoron also emphasized that: “Personal attacks on members of my court staff are unacceptable, inappropriate, and will not be tolerated under any circumstances,” he reiterated. “Failure to comply with this order will result in significant sanctions.”
The Judge expressed particular concern about a post by Trump on Truth Social that targeted Engoron’s principal law clerk, Ashley Greenfield, sharing an image of her alongside Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
In a now-deleted post, Trump wrote, “Schumer’s girlfriend, Alison R. Greenfield, is overseeing this case against me. How disgraceful! This case should be dismissed immediately,” as reported by Law and Crime.
Outside the courthouse, Trump drew attention to the post, addressing the assembled reporters and asserting that the connection between Schumer and Greenfield indicated that the trial was nothing more than a “witch hunt.”
He remarked to the press, “You’ve witnessed what was recently disclosed about Schumer and the principal clerk. That’s truly disgraceful,” before characterizing the trial as “rigged” and “fraudulent.”
BREAKING: Donald Trump says that the current court case against him, which accuses him of fraud, is “rigged”.
He adds “you saw what was just put out about Schumer and the principal clerk”, as he continues to claim the trial is a “witch-hunt”.https://t.co/Yy9R6i13MV
? Sky 501 pic.twitter.com/vco445qW4b
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 3, 2023
CNBC reported that the Trump campaign subsequently circulated an email in which they critiqued Engoron extensively, labeling him as a “Far-Left Democrat” and sharing numerous news articles highlighting the Judge’s strong affiliations with the Democratic Party and perceived political bias. Trump went on to suggest that New York Attorney General Letitia James, whom he has previously criticized for her allegedly politically motivated prosecution of his family, “should probably face dismissal as well.”
In a post on Tuesday morning on Truth Social, he stated:
“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. In actuality, I am WORTH FAR MORE than the numbers put down on the Financial Statements, not less. In addition, there is a far reaching and professionally drawn Disclaimer Clause boldly stated on the FIRST PAGE OF THE DOCUMENT. This entire case should be thrown out and dismissed. The A.G. should be reprimanded and sanctioned for bringing this case with its FAKE LOW VALUES, in order to make me look bad. Election Interference!”
In a subsequent post directed at Engoron, Trump added, “Judge Engoron has been provided with false and grossly misleading information regarding my net worth, propagated by a dishonest and incompetent Attorney General. For instance, Mar-a-Lago was misrepresented as being worth $18,000,000, when its true value is much closer to 1.5 billion dollars, as are other properties, including two recent sales that fetched figures significantly higher than those listed in the financial statements. The New York State Attorney General, therefore, engaged in fraudulent activities for political and election interference purposes. Consequently, this case should be dismissed.”
