Donald Trump in court for end of civil fraud trial after judge receives bomb threat

By Daniel Boal, ITV News Multimedia Producer

Donald Trump arrived for closing arguments in his New York civil fraud trial after authorities responded to a bomb threat at the home of the judge leading the trial.

Police had to move Judge Arthur Engoron from his Long Island home after a bomb threat was made at his residence.

Proceedings were not delayed.

Throughout the trial Trump has repeatedly disparaged Judge Engoron, claiming on social media that he was working closely with the New York attorney general "to screw me."

New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, wants the judge to impose $370 million (£290 million) in penalties. Trump says he did nothing wrong.

The trial, which has been dubbed by the former US president as a "witchhunt and a disgrace", is investigating allegations that Trump exaggerated his wealth on financial statements he provided to banks, insurance companies and others.

He contends outside accountants that helped prepare the statements should’ve flagged any discrepancies and that the documents came with disclaimers that shield him from liability.

Despite being barred from giving a formal closing argument, Trump unleashing a barrage of attacks during a six-minute rant before being cut off by the judge.

“We have a situation where I am an innocent man,” the former president protested. “I’m being persecuted by someone running for office and I think you have to go outside the bounds.”

After a few minutes, Judge Engoron - who had denied Trump permission earlier to give a closing statement at the trial - cut him off and recessed for lunch.

Trump had been planning to deliver his own official submission to the court, but the judge rejected it after his lawyer missed the deadline for his remarks.

“At this moment the judge is not letting me make the summation because I’ll bring up things he doesn’t want to hear," Trump said as he walked into the courtroom, characterising the decision as “political interference.”

“This is a case that never should have been brought," he said.

The false bomb report comes days after a fake emergency call reported a shooting at the home of the judge overseeing Trump’s Capitol attack criminal case in Washington DC.

The two incidents follow a spate of similar false reports at the homes of public officials in recent days. It is not currently known who was behind the false reports.

After Trump asked to make his closing remarks - before they were rejected - Judge Engoron warned that Trump couldn't use them as a chance to "deliver a campaign speech” or use the opportunity to impugn the judge and his staff.

“This entire case is a manufactured claim to pursue a political agenda,” Trump's lawyer Chris Kise said in his closing argument. “It has been press releases and posturing but no evidence.”

Trump returned to court as a spectator on Thursday despite the death of his mother in-law, Amalija Knavs, and the launch of the presidential primary season with the Iowa caucus.

Since the trial began October 2, Trump has gone to court nine times to observe, testify and complain to TV cameras about the case.

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He clashed with Judge Engoron and state lawyers during three-and-a-half hours on the witness stand in November and remains under a limited gag order after making a disparaging and false social media post about the judge's law clerk.

Thursday’s arguments are part of a busy legal and political stretch for Trump.

On Tuesday, he was in court in Washington DC, to watch appeals court arguments over whether he is immune from prosecution on charges that he plotted to overturn the 2020 election - one of four criminal cases against him. Trump has pleaded not guilty.

James sued Trump in 2022 under a state law that gives the state attorney general broad power to investigate allegations of persistent fraud in business dealings.

Judge Engoron decided some of the key issues before testimony began. In a pretrial ruling, he found that Trump had committed years of fraud by lying about his riches on financial statements with tricks like claiming his Trump Tower penthouse was nearly three times its actual size.

On Tuesday, Donald Trump said there will be 'bedlam in the country' if he continues to be prosecuted

The trial involves six undecided claims, including allegations of conspiracy, insurance fraud and falsifying business records.

Trump's company and two of his sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr, are also defendants. Eric Trump was also in court for closing arguments.

Besides monetary damages, James wants Trump and his co-defendants barred from doing business in New York.

State lawyers say that by making himself seem richer, Trump qualified for better loan terms from banks, saving him at least $168 million (£144 million).

Kise, praising Trump as “part of the fabric of the commercial real estate industry” for a half-century, pointed to Trump’s testimony that he intended lenders to do their own research and vetting after receiving his financial statements.

The lawyer also argued that the documents understated - rather than overvalued - the former president’s net worth.

Kise acknowledged that some holdings may have been listed “higher by immaterial” amounts, but he added “there’s plenty of assets that were undervalued by substantial sums.”

Judge Engoron said he is deciding the case because neither side asked for a jury and state law doesn’t allow for juries for this type of lawsuit. He said he hopes to have a decision by the end of the month.

Last month, in a ruling denying a defence bid for an early verdict, the judge signalled he’s inclined to find Trump and his co-defendants liable on at least some claims.

“Valuations, as elucidated ad nauseum in this trial, can be based on different criteria analysed in different ways," Judge Engoron wrote in the December 18 ruling. "But a lie is still a lie."

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