NEWSDonald Trump Throws a Temper Tantrum: Ex-Prez Storms Out of Civil Fraud Trial After Michael Cohen's 'Inconsistent' Testimony in Court
Donald Trump stormed out of his civil fraud trial on Wednesday, October 25, leaving the courtroom in shock.
The incident occurred after his former attorney Michael Cohen made conflicting statements regarding whether he lied to Congress.
Trump stormed out of court after his defense team's motion to dismiss the case was denied.
The New York trial saw Judge Arthur Engoron question Trump about his involvement in the alleged fraud.
The court case took an unexpected turn when Cohen appeared to offer inconsistent testimonies about whether Trump directed him or former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg to inflate numbers on his personal financial statements. When Cohen finally stated that Trump never directly instructed him to inflate the value of his assets, Trump's lawyers saw an opportunity to request a "directed verdict" in Trump's favor. Their motion was denied.
It was at this point that Trump dramatically stormed out of the courtroom, causing gasps among those in attendance. Secret Service agents followed him as he made his exit.
Trump was asked to take the stand to answer questions over remarks he made to the press earlier that day.
Once outside, Trump spoke to reporters, stating, "The witness just admitted that we won the trial. And the judge should end this trial immediately."
The public outcry from Trump came after Judge Engoron fined the ex-prez $10,000 for violating a gag order during a break in the hearing when he spoke to journalists outside the courthouse.
“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 at the time.
The judge stated the comment blatantly broke the gag order as it seemed to reference the court clerk Trump already targeted. The defendant and his legal team disputed the judge's claim.
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Judge Engoron did not find Trump's explanation of his remarks 'credible.'
Cohen has had his fair share of legal troubles as well.
As OK! previously reported, in 2018, he was sentenced to three years in federal prison for his involvement in coordinating hush money payments to women on Trump's behalf. He also pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about a Russian real estate project during Trump's 2016 campaign.
The current trial is part of a fraud case brought against Trump and senior executives at his company by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
The lawsuit accuses Trump and those involved of falsely inflating his net worth to obtain favorable loans and other benefits. James seeks to make Trump pay $250 million in fines, ban his family from operating any New York businesses in the future and prohibit him and the Trump Organization from buying commercial real estate in New York for five years.
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Trump has repeatedly claimed that James' investigation is politically motivated, but she has denied the allegations.
Since leaving office, Trump has faced numerous legal issues and investigations related to his political conduct and business affairs. Four investigations have led to indictments, making Trump the only U.S. president in history to face 91 criminal charges after taking office.
People obtained quotes and sources related to Trump's recent courtroom drama.
