Trump Trial Disrupted by Yelling Court Employee

A court employee has been arrested after interrupting former President Donald Trump's civil fraud trial in New York and yelling out an offer to "assist" the ex-president.

Trump, currently the leading Republican candidate in the 2024 presidential election, is facing a $250 million civil lawsuit over allegations that he illegally manipulated the value of his business assets for financial benefit. New York State Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron previously found Trump liable for fraud in a summary judgment, with the current portion of the trial set to determine the extent of the penalties.

An unnamed woman employed by the court interrupted what was already a chaotic hearing on Wednesday "by standing up and walking towards the front of the courtroom and yelling out to Mr. Trump indicating she wanted to assist him," according to a statement emailed to Newsweek by Lucian Chalfen, spokesperson for the New York State Office of Court Administration.

"This individual was stopped by court officers before she got near Mr. Trump or any of the attorneys or other litigants," Chalfen said. "None of the parties were ever in any danger. The individual was safely escorted out of the courtroom and the courthouse by uniformed court officers and has been charged with Contempt of Court in the 2nd degree, i.e. disrupting a court proceeding."

Chalfen went on to say that the woman was placed on administrative leave immediately after her arrest. She was also banned from entering any court in New York pending an investigation. No additional information about her identity was released, and it is unclear why she attempted to approach the former president.

A video shared on X, formerly Twitter, by Law360 reporter Frank Runyeon a short time later shows court officers leading a woman away from the courthouse and into a police car. According to Runyeon, "several people" at the hearing heard the woman "say she wanted to speak to Trump" before officers intervened.

The woman was heard screaming in the lobby of the courthouse after being taken out of the hearing, according to the Associated Press. Trump reportedly said that he "didn't know anything about" the incident after it happened.

Newsweek reached out for comment to Trump's office via email on Wednesday.

Wednesday's hearing included more than one colorful moment. The proceedings also ground to a halt after Trump's lawyers accused witness Doug Larson of "lying."

Larson is a real estate appraiser whose name appears in Trump's financial documents. The documents state that Trump-owned properties were valued based on phone conversations with Larson, while Larson testified that the calls never took place.

Another dramatic incident during Wednesday's hearing reportedly involved Trump being admonished by Engoron after throwing his hands up and loudly speaking during a portion of Larson's testimony.

In addition to the fraud lawsuit in New York and other civil cases, Trump is also currently facing a total of 91 felony counts spread across four criminal indictments this year. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and claims that all of his legal woes are political "persecution" and "election interference."