Donald Trump STORMS Out Of Courtroom, Chased By Secret Service
By Kelly Coffey-Behrens on October 25, 2023 at 4:42 PM EDT
Former President Donald Trump stormed out of the courtroom today, which, in turn, resulted in the Secret Service chasing him down.
The move was clearly not expected, as even Trump's attorneys were left shocked and confused by the former President's actions. The courtroom was filled with gasps from the peanut gallery.
Donald Trump Abruptly Leaves Civil Case Courtroom
During the court session today, Wednesday, October 25, Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former lawyer, and recent foe, was asked if Trump or Allen Weisselberg directed him to inflate the numbers, to which Cohen responded with, "Not that I recall."
One of Trump's attorneys, Cliff Robert, then asked for a directed verdict as he argued the key witnesses testified that the defendant didn't tell Cohen to inflate the numbers.
As you know, one of the biggest issues in this case is if Trump intentionally inflated his property and assets -- in other words committing fraud.
Related: Truth Social Hurts! Donald Trump Exits Forbes Top 400 Richest Americans List For A Shocking Reason
The judge denied the request, which is when the former President immediately got up and stormed out of the courtroom. The action forced the Secret Service agents to chase after him.
The New York attorney general's lawyers then asked Cohen follow-up questions to clarify his response. "He tells you what he wants without specifically telling you," Cohen then said. "We understood what he wanted.”
Outside the courtroom, Trump reportedly said, “The witness just admitted that we won the trial. And then the judge should end this trial immediately," per CNN.
Plus, during a break in the trial, Trump told reporters, "This judge is a very partisan judge, with a person who's very partisan sitting alongside him, perhaps even much more partisan than he is."
Court action is now done for the day.
Donald Trump Takes The Stand
Even though it was for a very short amount of time -- approximately one minute -- Trump did take the stand and was asked about statements he made outside the courtroom, as reports stated that Trump referred to someone as "partisan."
Trump acknowledged the rumors and said he was "referring to Cohen and not to Engoron's law clerk, whom Trump had been previously sanctioned for criticizing," NBC reports.
Judge Arthur Engoron then said he didn't find the former president credible and fined him $10,000, in violation of a gag order. Trump has 30 days to pay the fine.
Trump's Attorney Accused Of Being Disrespectful
Trump's attorney Chris Kise interrupted the AG's lawyer, Colleen Flaherty, to which Judge Engoron immediately told him to "be respectful."
“That group of attorneys is not being respectful,” Kise replied to the Judge as he pointed at the prosecutors. “Where I come from, respect is not given, it's earned," he said, referring to the fact that he has 30 years of experience.
The Judge then said, “I agree that respect isn't mandatory, it's earned," to which Trump's attorney responded by saying, “I have suffered a lot at the hands of the attorney general's office. It's extraordinary.”
“In the courtroom, I haven’t seen it,” the Judge replied before telling the room to move on.
Trump remains to be the frontrunner for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the 2024 U.S. election.