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Judge Arthur Engoron's wife, Dawn Engoron, denied making social media posts attacking former President Donald Trump in a statement to Newsweek.
Conservative activist Laura Loomer accused Dawn Engoron of running an X account that frequently posted anti-Trump messages against the former president, whose civil business fraud trial is currently being overseen by Judge Engoron. The judge has faced criticism of his own and Loomer's claims sparked people to call for a mistrial in Trump's case.
Newsweek was unable to verify that the account belonged to Dawn Engoron, and on Wednesday, she issued a firm denial. She told Newsweek on Wednesday afternoon that the account does not belong to her.
"I do not have a Twitter account. This is not me. I have not posted any anti Trump messages," she said.
New York Attorney General Letitia James sued the former president for $250 million, accusing him of inflating his net worth by billions of dollars to obtain benefits such as better bank loans and reduced tax bills between 2011 and 2021. He ruled in September that Trump, his adult sons, their businesses and executives committed fraud. He's now deciding on six other accusations, including falsifying business records, insurance fraud, and conspiracy claims during the trial.
Trump maintains his innocence in the case, accusing prosecutors of targeting him for political purposes. He also accused Judge Engoron of being biased against him, describing him as "partisan" in remarks to reporters last month and has been critical of the judge for imposing a gag order against him.
Conservatives argued the posts should result in either a dismissal or a mistrial. Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani, however, told Newsweek that a judge's spouse's social media is "not by itself grounds to disqualify a judge," pointing to Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas whose pro-Trump posts have drawn scrutiny from critics.
"Judges themselves have to post something that raises concerns about their impartiality for recusal or disqualification to be appropriate. Family member social media activity, even one's spouse, isn't enough," Rahmani said.
Screenshots shared by Loomer showed an X account known as "Dawn Marie" allegedly making posts critical of the former president, including posts against Trump attorney Alina Habba. That account has now been turned to private. One post, for instance, showed a photograph of someone writing "F*** Trump" with graffiti.
In another post, that account allegedly shared a post from news organization RawStory with the headline, "Pleading the 5th won't save Trump family members in Judge Engoron's courtroom."
"There needs to be a MISTRIAL in President Trump's NYC Civil Fraud Trial. This is really unethical, and beyond unacceptable," Loomer wrote.
Conservatives reacted to Loomer's allegations with outrage. Richard Grenell, former acting intelligence chief to President Donald Trump, wrote that the posts are proof of a "sham trial."
"The case should be dismissed IMMEDIATELY!" posted Mercedes Schlapp, Trump's former White House communications director posted to X.
Others, however, dismissed Loomer's accusations.
"Face it! Trump will never get a fair trial. When everyone around this case can speak but him. You know it's rigged against him!" another posted.
fairness meter
About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more