Re: Judge Engoron 'Bent the Rules' for Donald Trump: Attorney

[Joyce Vance - Former prosecutor & analyst]

On 06 Jun 2023, Holy Roller <now...@protonmail.com> posted some
news:u5ot7q$11bmo$1...@dont-email.me:

> Evidence destroying whore Hillary Clinton wasn't treated like any
> other person. She knowingly destroyed evidence in a criminal
> investigation. She knowingly funded a slanderously false "dossier"
> libeling a political opponent.

The judge overseeing Donald Trump's civil fraud trial in New York was
too lenient when he allowed the former president to go on a courtroom
rant lasting several minutes, according to a legal expert.

Joyce Vance, a former federal prosecutor and legal analyst, said that
"nothing good happens when you bend the rules" for Trump. She added that
this is what Judge Arthur Engoron did during closing arguments in the
Manhattan court on Thursday.

New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit in 2022 that
alleged that Trump and top executives at his family company, The Trump
Organization, conspired to increase his net worth by billions of dollars
on financial statements provided to banks and insurers to make deals and
secure loans. Trump, who is the GOP frontrunner for the 2024
presidential nomination, has denied any wrongdoing and called the case
against him politically motivated. Newsweek contacted Trump's legal team
on Saturday for comment via email.

In an unusual request, Trump wanted to make his own closing arguments in
the trial where James initially sought $250 million from him but now is
asking for $370 million, plus interest. Engoron denied the request after
the former president's legal team refused the judge's terms that Trump
would not use it as an opportunity to turn his argument into a "campaign
speech;" discuss matters "irrelevant" to the case; or try to introduce
new lines of evidence.

However, Engoron still allowed Trump to go on a diatribe on Thursday
that lasted around six minutes. During this, the Republican attacked the
judge and James, and said that he is innocent of all the allegations
against him. Engoron stopped Trump only so the court could go on lunch
as scheduled.

Writing in her Civil Discourse blog, Vance said that Engoron "bent the
rules" to allow Trump to speak during his civil trial, despite not being
questioned under oath on the witness stand. Vance added that the courts
should be treating the former president as they would any other person.

"Trump proceeded to do more or less everything the Judge had previously
forbidden. Before Trump began, the Judge asked whether he would abide by
the guidelines he'd previously sent. Trump simply ignored him, jumping
straight in," Vance wrote.

"Other parties don't get this sort of special treatment in court. Trump
shouldn't have received it either," Vance added. "Predictably, it did no
good. It did not prevent Trump from continuing to complain that he was
being treated unfairly.

"It's time for the courts to stop giving Trump special treatment. To
stop walking delicately and gingerly lest he claim foul play when he is
merely subjected to procedures anyone else in his position would be held
accountable to," Vance wrote. "The courts, charged with delivering
justice, need to stop being afraid of Trump."

Engoron has already ruled that Trump committed fraud by misrepresenting
the value of his properties for years in his financial statements. The
proceedings in New York were mainly to determine the size of the penalty
the former president faces.

Trump is at risk of being banned from doing business in New York state,
having his properties removed from his control, or being forced to pay a
fine totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.

Engoron said he will try to make his final decision by January 31.

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-judge-engoron-court-speech-1860460