A judge has warned Donald Trump to keep his voice down after repeated angry outbursts at his civil fraud trial.
Judge Arthur Engoron asked the former President to quite down as witnesses testified during his trial in Manhattan, New York.
Trump and his lawyers animatedly gestured to one another during real estate appraiser Doug Larson’s second day testifying.
At one point, whilst talking to his defence attorney Alina Habba, he threw his hands up in the air.
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Kevin Wallace, senior counsel for the attorney general, said: “Can the defendant please stop commenting during the witness’ testimony?”
He added that “extortionates” could be heard by the witnesses.
Wallace then asked that the whole room be quiet, “particularly if it’s meant to influence the testimony.”
The lead 2024 Republican candidate is on trial for fraud in a $250million (£205.3million) lawsuit by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
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Members of former U.S. President Donald Trump's legal team look on as he delivers remarks
Reuters
The state is also demanding severe restrictions on the Trump business.
Trump has already been found liable for fraud, but the trial is proceeding on several other accusations, including falsification of business records and conspiracy.
He and his co-defendants have denied all wrongdoing in the case.
Trump attended the first three days of the trial, but skipped last week.
Engoron ruled that the Trump Organisation committed years of fraud by exaggerating his asset values and net worth on annual financial statements.
The judge accused Trump’s company of doing so to secure better terms for loans and insurance.
Donald Trump delivers remarks after exiting the courtroom as he attends his Manhattan courthouse trial in a civil fraud case
Reuters
“With the help of his children and senior executives at the Trump Organization, Donald Trump falsely inflated his net worth by billions of dollars to unjustly enrich himself and cheat the system,” Engoron said.
“In fact, the very foundation of his purported net worth is rooted in incredible fraud and illegality.”
The judge ordered that a court-appointed receiver take control of some Trump companies, however an appeals court has blocked that for now.
Trump tried to turn the tables around and accused Attorney General James of fraud herself.
“Her numbers are fraudulent. She’s a fraud,” he told reporters.
“This case should be dismissed.”
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