Judge blocks Trump from defending himself in closing argument after ordering him to pay $370 million in a case in which he says he did nothing wrong

Trump A federal judge has rejected Donald Trump's bid to speak in his own defense in the closing arguments of the blockbuster New York fraud trial

Isaiah 10:1-2 Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!
Proverbs 17:23 The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice.

Important Takeaways:

  • The judge in former President Donald Trump’s New York fraud trial has barred him from speaking in his own defense during closing arguments later this week.
  • The former president, 77, is a defendant in the case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
  • His business empire in New York is on the line, and James has asked for his business to be fined $370 million for inflating property prices to get favorable loan deals.
  • An attorney for Trump informed Judge Arthur Engoron earlier this week that the ex-president wished to speak during the closing arguments and Engoron initially approved the plan, The Associated Press reported.
  • Now Engoron has rescinded the move, even though Trump is still expected to appear.
  • [So what inclined the Judge to block/ban Trump from speaking]
    • The judge then said that Trump would have to stick to what attorneys say in closing arguments, which includes ‘commentary on the relevant, material facts that are in evidence, and application of the relevant law to those facts.’
    • He also wouldn’t be allowed to criticize the judge, his staff, Attorney General James, her lawyers or the court system, Engoron wrote, according to the AP.
    • Trump’s attorney Christopher Kise told Engoron that those limitations were unfair and the ex-president could not agree to them.
    • This prompted Engoron to put a stop to Trump’s plan.
  • On Friday, after James asked Engoron to have him pay $370 million – up from $250 million – Trump hammered the decision while on the campaign trail Friday night in Sioux Center, Iowa.
  • ‘So if you don’t mind, I was a little bit angry when I walked in. Did you notice the anger? Maybe not. But the corrupt AG wants $370 million for a fee for what I did and I did nothing wrong. Nothing,’ Trump said. ‘This is weaponization at a level that nobody’s ever seen.’

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