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New York Judge Arthur Engoron made a "major mistake" by allowing cameras outside former President Donald Trump's civil business fraud trial, said legal analyst Lisa Rubin.
Trump is appearing in a New York City courtroom Thursday for the closing arguments of the business fraud trial, which has been overseen by Engoron. The trial stems from a lawsuit New York Attorney General Letitia James filed, alleging that Trump and top executives at his family company, The Trump Organization, conspired to increase his net worth by billions of dollars on financial statements provided to banks and insurers to make deals and secure loans.
Trump, who is the current frontrunner in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has denied any wrongdoing and called the trial politically motivated. The lawsuit is civil, not criminal, meaning he will not face jail time.
The former president's legal team requested Trump have the opportunity to speak during the closing arguments, but Engoron ruled he cannot testify after his attorneys missed deadlines.
Rubin, a legal analyst for MSNBC, predicted that while Trump may not be able to speak during the trial, he will likely speak to journalists outside of the courthouse once the closing arguments wrap up. Allowing cameras to record outside the courthouse, Rubin said, was a "major mistake" on behalf of Engoron.
"He'll make very good use of the phalanx of cameras right outside that courthouse that the New York judges have permitted to exist. I think that, in retrospect, was a major mistake," Rubin said on MSNBC.
It remains unclear whether Engoron has the authority to prohibit cameras outside the courthouse building, but he has allowed cameras inside the courthouse throughout the trial and at times inside the courtroom.
Newsweek reached out to Engoron through the New York courts press office via email Thursday morning.
Rubin also predicted that other judges may not allow cameras outside the courthouse in Trump's future trials.
"I'll be interested to see when [Manhattan District Attorney] Alvin Bragg gets to try his case against the former president in criminal court down the street, perhaps in March, depending on whether judge Tanya Chutkan's case is allowed to go forward, whether those kinds of conditions will be allowed to exist down the street. I predict the answer will be no," she said.
Engoron ruled last year that Trump, his adult sons, their businesses and executives committed fraud and will now decide on six other accusations, including falsifying business records, insurance fraud, and conspiracy claims during the trial.
Throughout the trial, which oftentimes grew tense amid disagreements between Engoron and Trump's attorneys, Engoron heard testimony from a number of figures connected to the Trump Organization, including from the former president and his three adult children.
Bragg has charged Trump with falsifying business documents over an alleged hush money payment made during his 2016 campaign, while the Department of Justice charged him in a federal election interference case. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges and maintains his innocence in all cases against him. The trial into Bragg's allegations is scheduled for March 25 but may be delayed pending the election interference trial.
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