Former President Donald Trump clashed with his ex-attorney Michael Cohen during a high-stakes civil fraud trial in New York.
The courtroom drama unfolded as Cohen testified for a second day in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ $250 million lawsuit alleging fraudulent inflation of Trump’s asset values.
Trump did not mince words, branding Cohen a “total sleazebag” for his role in the trial. The lawsuit centers on claims that Trump artificially inflated asset and property values in financial statements over the years, leading to financial deception.
Wednesday’s proceedings in New York took a wild turn when Judge Arthur Engoron, presiding over the case, fined Trump $10,000 for violating a gag order by publicly discussing a court staff member. The former president’s abrupt exit from the courtroom, accompanied by Secret Service agents and his son Eric (also named in James’ lawsuit), added further drama.
Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump inaccurately asserted that James’ case was “dead” but claimed a “Radical Left Judge REFUSES to end it.” Engoron had previously ruled that Trump had committed fraud by inflating property values, with the trial now focusing on six remaining claims and the penalty’s size. Trump vehemently denies the allegations, asserting that Cohen, a key witness, “lied like a dog.”
Trump further criticized James, urging her to focus on combating violent crime while calling the proceedings unfair and challenging the New York State Judicial System. He went on to accuse his political opponents of election interference.
During Wednesday’s cross-examination, Cohen was forced to backtrack on previous statements, contradicting his testimony that Trump directed him to inflate asset values. In response to Trump attorney Clifford Robert’s question, “Trump never directed you to inflate the numbers in his personal statement. Yes or no?” Cohen replied with a simple “Yes.”
Trump’s reaction to this response was one of frustration, and Robert’s subsequent request for a directed verdict to dismiss the case was denied by Judge Engoron, who emphasized the abundance of evidence.
Trump and his legal team have consistently tried to portray Cohen as an unreliable witness due to his history of lying under oath. In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to charges of lying to Congress and violating campaign finance laws related to hush money paid to Stormy Daniels, an adult film star.
After the judge refused to issue a directed verdict following Cohen’s contradictory testimony, Trump made a swift exit from the courtroom. Addressing reporters, he insisted, “The witness just admitted that we won the trial and the judge should end this trial immediately.”
In response to Trump’s outburst, Cohen described the former president as a “defeated man,” predicting dire consequences for The Trump Organization. “Already found guilty of fraud, the license will ultimately be taken, and now this entire case is merely about how much,” Cohen remarked, referring to the potential disgorgement sought by the attorney general.