The New York judge presiding over Donald Trump's civil fraud trial seems to have had it with the former president's defense, interrupting Trump lawyer Chris Kise to correct some of his assertions during closing arguments Thursday. In one instance, while Kise argued that no rebuttal had been put forth to counter the expert testimony for Trump's defense, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron interjected to ask the attorney general's prosecutors if he has to accept "unrebutted" testimony, The Messenger's Adam Klasfeld reported.
After the state's lawyers replied that he did not, Engoron indicated he disagreed that the testimony is unrefuted, noting that, even if it were, he still maintained the authority to determine it isn't credible. The judge also cut the attorney off to dispute Kise's claim that Trump is an industry expert, according to CNN's Paula Reid. Trump, Kise asserted, has been part of the "fabric of commercial real estate in this state and around the world," Reid reported in a clip flagged by Raw Story. But Engoron stopped him to state that Trump hasn't been qualified as an expert. "When you bring in an expert, they have to be qualified," he said, according to Reid.
Moves like this, Reid told host John Berman, "get under Trump's skin. Trump is sitting in there because this case is so personal; this is about everything he's sold himself to be. It's likely this exchange did not please Kise's client." The former president had previously railed against the judge ahead of Thursday's proceedings, complaining outside the courtroom about Engoron's revocation of his permission to speak during closing arguments. Though initially open to Trump delivering his own summation, Engoron revoked the atypical privilege after Trump's lawyers refused to comply with restrictions he sought to impose.
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