Trump slams judge's 'agenda' as court case wraps
Donald Trump on Thursday accused the New York judge in his civil fraud trial of "having your own agenda" – and the judge told his lawyer to control his client – as a months-long case that could hobble the former US president's business empire neared its end. During a contentious final day of the trial in Manhattan, Trump once again tangled with Justice Arthur Engoron, who is considering what penalties to impose after earlier finding that Trump's company inflated his net worth to win better financing terms. "You have your own agenda. I understand that you can't listen for more than one minute," Trump said in court, as he denied wrongdoing and repeated claims of political persecution. Trump's legal team and the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James made closing arguments in a case accusing him of inflating his net worth to dupe banks. Kevin Wallace, a lawyer from her office, said Trump's company issued false financial statements every year between 2011 and 2021. "Fraud was central to the operation of the Trump Organisation's activities," Wallace told the judge. Trump and Engoron have clashed repeatedly over the course of the trial. Engoron, who earlier on Thursday had faced a security threat at his suburban home, did not appear to be impressed with Trump's argument. "Please control your client," the judge told Trump's lawyer, Christopher Kise. Engoron had earlier reacted skeptically to Kise's argument that Trump should not be penalised for allegedly manipulating the value of his properties because lenders and insurers that did business with him still turned a profit. "There does not have to be any evidence of harm," Engoron said. New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the case, is seeking nearly US$370 million and a lifetime ban on Trump from the state's real-estate industry. The trial's closing arguments took place in an atmosphere of heightened security after media outlets reported a bomb threat at Engoron's suburban home. The judge has been a frequent target of Trump's criticism. (Reuters)