As E Jean Carroll’s second defamation trial against Donald Trump neared its final stage Friday morning in New York, proceedings quickly took a turn for the absurd with the judge threatening his lawyer with “lockup” and the ex-president leaving about 10 minutes into closings.
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“This case is also about punishing Donald Trump for what he has done and for what he continues to do,” [Carroll’s lead attorney, Roberta] Kaplan said, adding shortly thereafter: “This trial is about getting him to stop, once and for all.”
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Trump’s abrupt departure came as [...] Kaplan, was delivering her closing argument – shortly after she noted that he had continued to defame the former Elle writer during this very trial. Trump left.
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“Excuse me,” Judge Lewis Kaplan [no relation to Carroll's attorney] said. “The record will reflect that Mr Trump just rose and walked out of the courtroom.”
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Within less than 10 minutes ofTrump’s arrival to the courtroom, as both sides were discussing items they wanted to include in their closings before jurors entered, the judge threatened Trump’s lead attorney, Alina Habba, with punishment when she tried to interrupt him, saying: “You are on the verge of spending some time in the lockup. Sit down!”
Guardian
"The record will reflect that Mr. Trump just rose and walked out of the courtroom," Kaplan declared.
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The judge then instructed Trump's attorneys at the defense table — and his associates in the gallery — to remain seated. That included Trump's longtime advisor Boris Epshteyn, who appeared to be gearing up to leave before the judge singled him out and said the order also applied to him.
The Messenger
Before closing arguments began on Friday, Habba arrived late to court and infuriated the judge by continuing to dispute a judge’s ruling long after he ruled.
"You are on the verge of spending some time in the lockup," Kaplan warned just hours earlier. "Sit down."
The Messenger
Pretty sure she's been goading him all along in an attempt to get a mistrial call.
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