Donald Trump stormed out of the courtroom on Wednesday amid testimony from his former attorney Michael Cohen in a New York civil fraud trial concerning the Trump Organisation.
The former president’s Secret Service agents were caught off-guard and chased after him as he abruptly left the room, according to reporters who were present.
Trump exited the courtroom shortly after Cohen admitted that Trump had never asked him to inflate the numbers on his financial statements.
Once outside, Trump declared to reporters before walking away: “The witness just admitted that we won the trial. And the judge should end this trial immediately.”
One of Trump’s attorneys then asked Judge Arthur Engoron to declare a verdict in the trial, to which he replied, “Absolutely denied,” noting that there’s evidence “all over the place” in the New York attorney general’s $250 million lawsuit against Trump, three of his adult children and the Trump Organisation.
Shortly before Trump’s outburst over Cohen’s remarks, Engoron handed down a $10,000 fine against the former president, ruling that he violated a gag order banning him from discussing the judge’s staff when he spoke to reporters earlier during a break in the trial.
“This judge is a very partisan judge with a person who is very partisan sitting alongside him ― perhaps even much more partisan than he is,” Trump said. Engoron’s clerk was sitting next to him.
But when questioned on the witness stand, Trump claimed he was speaking about his former attorney Michael Cohen, who was sitting on the other side of Engoron in the witness box during his second day of testimony.
“Are you sure you didn’t meant the person on the other side?” Engoron asked, gesturing to his clerk.
“Yes I’m sure,” Trump replied.
Engoron then dismissed Trump after about a minute of testimony and handed down the penalty despite Trump’s protestations.
“I hereby fine you $10,000 ― which is on the liberal side ― to be paid within 30 days,” he ruled.
The fine comes in the fourth week of the trial.