Trump can’t speak during closing arguments in NY civil fraud trial, judge says

CNN —

Judge Arthur Engoron said Wednesday he does not expect Donald Trump to speak during closing arguments in the $370 million New York civil fraud trial against Trump.

In a letter to attorneys for Trump and New York Attorney General Letitia James just after noon Wednesday, Engoron said that Trump hasn’t agreed to conditions he set should the former president wish to give a statement.

“Not having heard from you by the third extended deadline (noon today), I assume that Mr. Trump will not agree to the reasonable, lawful limits I have imposed as a precondition to giving a closing statement above and beyond those given by his attorneys, and that, therefore, he will not be speaking in court tomorrow,” Engoron wrote.

Email correspondence shows the parties have been discussing the possibility of Trump participating in the closing arguments since at least last week.

Trump and his team have used his court appearances to claim election interference by Joe Biden, paint his legal woes as political persecution, and draw media attention away from his Republican rivals who have struggled to chip away at his significant lead in the polls.

Trump is not facing criminal charges in the civil fraud case, but the claims against the former president hit him personally, as the New York attorney general is seeking $370 million in damages and to bar Trump from doing business in the state.

The New York attorney general alleges that Trump, his two adult sons and his company defrauded banks and insurance companies by inflating the value of the former president’s assets in order to obtain more favorable rates. Engoron has already ruled that Trump was liable for fraud; the judge is now considering damages and six additional claims in