NEW YORK (AP) — A woman was arrested Wednesday after she stood up during former President Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial in New York and walked toward the part of the courtroom where he was sitting.
The woman, who was later identified as a court employee, backed away after a court officer told her to return to her seat. Shortly afterward, officers escorted the woman out of the Manhattan courthouse and arrested her. She was charged with contempt of court for disrupting a court proceeding, state court spokesman Lucian Chalfen said.
Chalfen said the woman was yelling at Trump that she wanted to help him, although reporters in the room did not hear her raise her voice. Later, she was heard screaming in the courthouse lobby as officers led her out of the building.
“Neither party was in danger,” Chalfen said.
Trump later indicated to reporters that he was unaware of what had happened, saying, “Who did they arrest? “We didn’t know anything about it.”
The woman, whose name was not released, works in a different state court. She was placed on administrative leave and banned from state court facilities pending an investigation, Chalfen said.
The trial continued, albeit with another interruption, this one after Trump threw up his hands in frustration and complained to his lawyers while a witness testified against him.
Earlier, Judge Arthur Engoron warned Trump and others involved in the case to keep their voices down after the 2024 Republican presidential candidate chatted animatedly with his lawyers at the defense table during the second day of testimony of real estate appraiser Doug Larson.
State’s attorney Kevin Wallace asked Engoron to ask the defense to “stop making comments during the witness’s testimony,” adding that the “exhortations” were noticeable on the witness’s side of the room. The judge then asked everyone to lower their voices, “particularly if it is to influence the testimony.”
Trump was in court for the second straight day Wednesday, detouring from Iowa, New Hampshire and other campaign stops to pay close attention to the case that threatens to shake his real estate empire and his image as a wealthy businessman. Trump attended the first three days, but was absent last week. On Tuesday, he left early to testify in an unrelated lawsuit.
Jill Colvin contributed to this report.
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2023-10-18 20:36:42
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