Closing summary
It’s 6pm in Washington. Here’s a recap of today’s developments:
Donald Trump attacked the judge and New York prosecutors who have charged him with orchestrating a years-long fraud for the first day of a civil trial that could see the former president and his family business paying hundreds of millions of dollars in damages and that has already threatened to end his business career in the city where it started.
The former president, speaking in front of cameras during the first day of his fraud trial, said his financial statements were “phenomenal”, and called New York attorney general, Letitia James, who is Black, a “racist” and a “horror show” and said the case was being overseen by a “rogue judge”.
Congressman Matt Gaetz continued to attack Kevin McCarthy over the House Republican speaker’s successful efforts to avoid a government shutdown, even as other hard-right lawmakers came to McCarthy’s defense. Speaking on the House floor on Monday, Gaetz railed against McCarthy, accusing the speaker of cutting “a secret side deal” with Joe Biden to provide additional funding to Ukraine.
Gavin Newsom, the California governor, has named Laphonza Butler to fill the Senate seat held by Dianne Feinstein, who died on Thursday. Butler, a Democratic strategist and former labor leader, will be the only Black woman serving in the US senate, and the first openly LGBTQ+ person to represent California in the chamber.
A federal judge has scheduled the trial of US senator Bob Menendez on bribery and corruption charges to begin 6 May 2024. Under the indictment unsealed last month, Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, were accused of using his seat in the Senate, as chair of the foreign relations committee, to benefit the government of Egypt.
A state senator from North Dakota, Doug Larsen, his wife and their two young children died when the small plane they were traveling in crashed in Utah, a senate leader said.
Congressman Jamaal Bowman attempted to distance himself from a memo released by his office that referred to some Republican extremists as Nazis.
In a memo obtained by Politico, Bowman’s office suggested several talking points his Democratic colleagues could use to defend him amid a GOP push to punish the New York congressman after he set off a House fire alarm during Saturday’s spending vote.
One suggested response from Bowman’s office to questions about the incident:
I believe Congressman Bowman when he says this was an accident. Republicans need to instead focus their energy on the Nazi members of their party before anything else.
Posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, Bowman condemned the use of the word “Nazi”, calling it “inappropriate”.
I just became aware that in our messaging guidance, there was inappropriate use of the term Nazi without my consent. I condemn the use of the term Nazi out of its precise definition. It is important to specify the term Nazi to refer to members of the Nazi party & neo-Nazis. https://t.co/DUi92VpUia
— Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman) October 2, 2023
Trump says he has done 'nothing wrong' in remarks at the end of first trial day
Donald Trump, speaking after leaving the courtroom during the first day of his fraud trial, accused New York attorney general Letitia James of being a “disgrace” who “should focus on all of the violent crime and murders going on” in the state rather than on him.
The former president insisted he has done “nothing wrong” and that the lawsuit was part of an effort to interfere with the 2024 election, NBC reported.
He also complained that his time spent at trial was keeping him off the campaign trail.
I’ve been sitting in a courthouse all day long instead of being in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or a lot of other places I could be at. This is a horrible situation for our country.
Trump departs court in NYC by lobbing more insults at AG James pic.twitter.com/Yt4TfHUlWC
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 2, 2023
Updated
New York City public hospitals will now offer abortion care via telehealth, placing them among the first public health systems in the US to do so.
The city’s mayor, Eric Adams, announced on Monday that abortion pill prescriptions would now be available by telephone or online, adding that such access can happen from “the comfort of your home”.
As a result of the move, New York City residents will now be able to connect with health practitioners for those prescriptions, building on previous legislations to protect abortions rights in New York.
“If you are clinically eligible, that provider will be able to prescribe abortion medication that would be delivered to your New York City address within days,” Adams said during Monday’s announcement.
“We will not stand idly by as these attacks continue and the far-rights seeks to strip our citizens of their basic rights,” Adams added, referring to abortion restrictions being legislated across the country.
Abortion rights organizations celebrated Monday’s announcement as an essential step to protect reproductive rights.
The first day of Donald Trump’s fraud trial has concluded, with proceedings expected to resume tomorrow morning.
Judge Arthur Engoron heard testimony from the first witness in the trial, Trump’s former longtime accountant Donald Bender.
Criminal trial of Senator Bob Menendez set for 6 May
A federal judge has scheduled the trial of US senator Bob Menendez and his wife on bribery and corruption charges to begin 6 May 2024.
The New Jersey Democratic senator has pleaded not guilty and resisted calls for his resignation after he was indicted on charges of taking bribes from three New Jersey businessmen.
Under the indictment unsealed last month, Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, were accused of using his seat in the Senate, as chair of the foreign relations committee, to benefit the government of Egypt.
Prosecutors described how the large sums of cash were found at Menendez’s New Jersey home, as well as actual gold bars. A Mercedes-Benz car is also at issue. Three businessmen have also been charged.
Updated
Gavin Newsom, the California governor, has named Laphonza Butler, a Democratic strategist and former labor leader, to fill the Senate seat held by Dianne Feinstein, who died on Thursday.
The appointment fulfills Newsom’s pledge to appoint a Black woman to the Senate, while shirking calls to name Barbara Lee, a Black Bay Area congresswoman who is already running for the position in 2024.
Butler, 44, will be the only Black woman serving in the US senate, and the first openly LGBTQ+ person to represent California in the chamber. She currently leads Emily’s List, a national political organization dedicated to electing Democratic women who support reproductive rights. She has also served as a strategist and adviser to Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign and was a former labor leader of SEIU California, the state’s largest union, representing more than 700,000 workers.
Butler currently lives in Maryland, according to her Emily’s List biography, but she owns a house in California and will re-register to vote in the state before taking office, according to the Newsom administration. She could be sworn in as early as Tuesday evening when the Senate returns to session.
Democrats control the Senate 51-49, though Feinstein’s seat is vacant. The quick appointment by Newsom will give the Democratic caucus more wiggle room on close votes, including nominations that Republicans uniformly oppose.
Trump gained $100m through inflating real estate value, NY state attorney says
At the opening of Donald Trump and his family’s civil fraud trial today, an attorney for New York state said the defendants gained more than $100m by inflating the value of their properties, Reuters reports.
The gains came through lower insurance premiums and better loan conditions, and in his opening statement, Kevin Wallace, an attorney for New York attorney general Letitia James, said the former president was “materially inaccurate” when he would describe his business to insurers and lenders.
“This isn’t business as usual, and this isn’t how sophisticated parties deal with each other,” Wallace said. “These are not victimless crimes.”
However, Trump’s attorney Christopher Kise denied any wrongdoing.
“It is one of the most highly successful brands in the world, and he has made a fortune literally being right about real estate investments,” Kise said in his opening statement. “There was no intent to defraud, there was no illegality, there was no default, there was no breach, there was no reliance from the banks, there were no unjust profits, and there were no victims.”
Kise also said that Trump’s valuations of his properties were understood to be estimates, and that just because people disagree with them does not mean they are fraudulent.
But as evidence for his case, Wallace played from a deposition with Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen, where he said he was told “to attain the number that Mr. Trump wanted.”
Note: We first reported the figure as $1bn, citing Reuters. We have since corrected the figure to $100m.
Updated
Axios reports that congressman Jamaal Bowman’s office is encouraging his fellow Democrats to step up and defend him after he pulled a fire alarm on Saturday:
Here's the memo that Bowman's office sent to other House Democratic staff.
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) October 2, 2023
They closed the link 7 minutes later "as it was leaked to reporters," but offered to send messaging to those who reached out directly, per an email viewed by @Axios pic.twitter.com/yrjD5HVhE1
Meanwhile, the Capitol police says they are investigating the incident, and released a statement recounting what happened. It reads, in part:
At approximately 12:05 p.m. on Saturday, September 30, a fire alarm sounded inside the Cannon Building. USCP officers evacuated people from the building, floor by floor, while DC Fire & EMS responded. The fire alarm only sounded in the Cannon Building, so that was the only building that was evacuated.
On security video, a man was seen trying to exit the door in the Cannon Building and then pulling the fire alarm that prompted the evacuation. USCP officers had previously placed signs with clear language that explained the door was secured and marked as an emergency exit only.
At approximately 1:30 p.m. the DC Fire Marshal determined there was not a fire and the building was safe.
The USCP will continue to keep the public updated on the status of the investigation.
Some House Republicans have already made up their mind, and will try to expel Bowman, Axios reports. However, expelling a House member requires the approval of two-thirds of the chamber, and has not been done since 2002:
GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis says she is introducing her expulsion resolution with a dozen cosponsors and "will continue to add more throughout the day."
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) October 2, 2023
Co-sponsors: Greene, Collins, Scott (Ga.), Gonzales, Miller (Ill.), Palmer, Rosendale, Weber, Nehls, Brecheen, Moore (Ala.). https://t.co/zPU0IYCLM9
As lawmakers scrambled over the weekend in their surprisingly successful effort to avert a government shutdown, the show was almost disrupted when Democratic congressman Jamaal Bowman pulled the fire alarm in a House office building. There have been some new developments in that episode, but before we get into it, here’s a recap of what happened, from the Guardian’s Maya Yang:
The New York Democratic congressman Jamaal Bowman denied that he pulled a fire alarm in a Capitol office building to delay a vote on the stopgap measure that ultimately stopped a government shutdown.
In a statement on Saturday evening, the New Yorker said he mistakenly thought the alarm, which prompted the Cannon House office building to be evacuated, would open a door.
“Today, as I was rushing to make a vote, I came to a door that is usually open for votes but today was not open. I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door,” said Bowman.
“I regret this and sincerely apologize for any confusion this caused.”
He dismissed accusations from Republicans that he pulled the alarm in an attempt to delay the vote.
“I want to be very clear, this was not me, in any way, trying to delay any vote. It was the exact opposite – I was trying to urgently get a vote, which I ultimately did and joined my colleagues in a bipartisan effort to keep our government open,” he said.
An update on Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial, which has resumed in New York City.
As the Messenger reports, the first witness to take the stand in the damages phase of the trial is Trump’s former accountant:
Now
— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) October 2, 2023
Witness testimony in NYAG v. Trump will begin with testimony by Donald Bender, his ex-accountant at Mazars.
Trump and his three children were named by their attorneys as witnesses, but that does not necessarily mean they will speak to the court.
Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial isn’t the only court news happening today. As the Guardian’s Ed Pilkington reports, the supreme court is starting a new term today, giving its conservative majority another opportunity to hand down decisions that could have major impacts on American life:
The US supreme court will gather on Monday at the start of a new judicial term that has the potential to catastrophically disrupt the functioning of government, expand the assault on reproductive rights and unleash yet more gun violence on an already reeling America.
When the nine justices convene on Monday morning it will mark the start of the third full term in which the 6-3 rightwing supermajority created by Donald Trump is in command. Explosive rulings delivered over the past two terms have demonstrated the conservatives’ newfound muscle, stripping millions of Americans of fundamental rights from abortion to affirmative action.
Three significant cases before the court this term cut to the core of the functioning of the US government itself. According to the co-hosts of the Strict Scrutiny podcast, at stake is no less than “the future of government as we know it”.
On Tuesday the court will hear oral arguments in a case that poses the greatest threat to consumer protections for decades. Stephen Vladeck, an authority on constitutional law at the University of Texas law school, said that although CFPB v CFSA is technical in its framing, it has the potential to “bring down much of the American financial system”.
Trump attending fraud trial to 'watch this witch-hunt'
Donald Trump, speaking in front of cameras during the break, said he attended the civil fraud trial against him so he could “watch this witch-hunt myself”.
He slammed the “disgraceful trial” put forward by the “corrupt” New York attorney general, Letitia James, accusing her of wasting time when there are “murderers and killers that are all over New York killing people”. He added:
We’re going to be here for months with a judge that already made up his mind. It’s ridiculous. He’s a Democrat judge a and operative and it’s ridiculous.
“Other than that, things went very well,” Trump added.
The former president also attacked Manhattan supreme court judge Arthur Engoron, who he said should be disbarred for “interfering with an election”.
“He’s a Democrat judge … It’s ridiculous.”
— NewsNation (@NewsNation) October 2, 2023
Donald Trump speaks after leaving the courtroom on day one of a civil fraud lawsuit trial filed against him in New York.
MORE: https://t.co/Fd9tspNnmA #NewsNationLive pic.twitter.com/qaTKhb2fUJ
Updated
The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, was asked about Matt Gaetz’s comments on the House floor accusing Speaker Kevin McCarthy of making a secret side deal on Ukraine aid with Joe Biden.
Speaking to reporters, she replied:
What we know is that there is bipartisan support for this deal. Speaker McCarthy was on the air multiple times yesterday saying that he wants to continue support for Ukraine, to get the weapons that they need. So we are going to hold him to that.
WH Press Sec. Karine Jean-Pierre doesn't expand upon or confirm Biden's claim he made a deal with Speaker McCarthy on Ukraine funding:
— The Recount (@therecount) October 2, 2023
“What I'm saying is that there's been a bipartisan focus and agreement to continue the funding for Ukraine...That's what we're going to see.” pic.twitter.com/nwWQDURtyz
As we reported earlier, Donald Trump’s civil fraud case is being tried without a jury reportedly because the former president’s attorneys seemingly did not pay too close of attention to their paperwork.
“Nobody asked for” a jury trial, Judge Arthur Engoron noted during Monday’s trial. According to the Messenger:
Earlier this year, New York Attorney Letitia James filed a form with a checkmark next to the field: “Trial without a jury.”
Trump’s legal team didn’t file a corresponding form, and the former president may have regretted his lawyer’s inaction ever since.
It’s incredibly easy to ask for a jury trial. You just check a box on a form. Hard to believe that Trump understood that his lawyers hadn’t done it when he’s been savaging the judge who is now the factfinder in his huge fraud trial. https://t.co/E2NlkIUBzX
— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) October 2, 2023
In brief remarks as he arrived at the courthouse, Donald Trump claimed his financial statements were “phenomenal”, even though a judge last week determined he and his family had committed fraud over the course of a decade.
Here’s a clip:
The day so far
The damages phase of Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial opened in New York City, which the former president attended in person. Though he blasted the case as politically motivated and insisted that his financial statements were “phenomenal”, despite already being found liable for fraud, he and his children are facing severe financial consequences, and could lose control of properties such as Trump Tower. Meanwhile, in Washington DC, Republican insurgent leader Matt Gaetz held off on formally attempting to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House. Gaetz demanded answers from his fellow Republican, accusing him of cutting a side deal with Joe Biden. We’ll see if he gets them.
Here’s what else has happened today so far:
Gaetz said he delayed formally introducing his motion to vacate because not enough lawmakers were in town yet.
Trump’s legal team did not ask for a jury to determine damages in the ex-president’s civil fraud trial, meaning the decision will be left to judge Arthur Engoron.
New York attorney general Letitia James said “no one is above the law” just before Trump’s fraud trial was about to get under way.
The long-running feud between Republican House speaker Kevin McCarthy and rightwing insurgents from his own party, particularly congressman Matt Gaetz, hit a new peak on Sunday, when Gaetz announced he would move to hold a vote on whether McCarthy could keep his job. From the Guardian’s Richard Luscombe, here’s a look at how the two men came to be at loggerheads, and whether Democrats will come to the speaker’s rescue:
Simmering hostility between Republicans over the bipartisan deal that averted a government shutdown descended into open political warfare on Sunday, a rightwing congressman saying he would move to oust Kevin McCarthy and the embattled House speaker insisting he would survive.
“We need to rip off the Bandaid. We need to move on with new leadership that can be trustworthy,” the Florida representative Matt Gaetz told CNN’s State of the Union, saying he would file a “motion to vacate” in the next few days.
McCarthy, Gaetz said, lied about “a secret deal” struck with Democrats to later pass money for Ukraine that was left out of the compromise agreement, and misled Republicans about working with the opposition at all.
The bill keeping the government funded for 47 days passed the House on Saturday night 335-91, 209 Democrats joining 126 Republicans in support. It cleared the Senate 88-9 and was signed by Joe Biden.
In remarks at the White House on Sunday, Biden said the measure extending funding until 17 November, and including $16bn in disaster aid, prevented “a needless crisis”.
But, Biden said: “The truth is we shouldn’t be here in the first place. It’s time to end governing by crisis and keep your word when you give it in the Congress. I fully expect the speaker to keep his commitment to secure the passage of support needed to help Ukraine as they defend themselves against aggression.”
Asked if he expected McCarthy to stand up to extremists, Biden replied: “I hope this experience for the speaker has been one of personal revelation.”
Asked by reporters why he did not formally introduce his motion to vacate Kevin McCarthy from the speaker of the House’s chair, Matt Gaetz said it was because not enough lawmakers were in town yet:
CNN's @mkraju: “Why didn't you go forward right now and are you backing off of your plans to push [McCarthy] out of the speakership?”
— The Recount (@therecount) October 2, 2023
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL): “No one is in town yet. It's Monday on a fly-in day at noon. I think we'll have more folks later this afternoon.” pic.twitter.com/dyfBoSL4J9
Republican insurgent Gaetz demands answers from McCarthy, threatens removal vote
A day after announcing that he will propose removing Kevin McCarthy from his post as speaker of the House, Matt Gaetz, a leader of the far-right block of Republican insurgents in the chamber, demanded answers from the speaker but held off on formally introducing the motion.
In a speech on the House floor, Gaetz accused McCarthy of making a secret side deal on Ukraine aid with Joe Biden, the Democratic president who far-right Republicans have warned the speaker against working with.
“Mr. Speaker, just tell us … what was in the secret Ukraine side deal, what commitments were made to president Biden to continue the spending of president Biden, in exchange for doing things for president Biden,” Gaetz said. “It is becoming increasingly clear who the speaker of the House already works for, and it’s not the Republican conference.”
While Gaetz had announced yesterday he would make a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair, he did not formally do so in his speech today, rather forecasting that he would do so in the coming days, if McCarthy did not answer his questions:
Mr. Speaker, I would ask that these questions be answered soon. Because there may be other votes coming today, or later this week, that could be implicated by the answers to these questions. Members of the Republican Party might vote differently on a motion to vacate if they heard what the speaker had to share with us about his secret side deal with Joe Biden on Ukraine. I’ll be listening. Stay tuned.
Updated
From the Guardian’s Lauren Aratani, here’s a recap of everything we know about Donald Trump’s fraud trial in New York, and the potentially sizable damages he could be forced to pay:
The future of Donald Trump’s New York real estate business will be decided in a Manhattan court case that starts on Monday.
The New York attorney general, Letitia James, is taking Trump to court after a three-year investigation found that he and others within the Trump Organization repeatedly used false or misleading financial statements to broker deals, obtain favorable loans and bolster the appearance of his net worth.
The judge presiding over the trial, the New York supreme court justice Arthur Engoron, already found Trump guilty of financial fraud in a pre-trial judgment. The trial will be dedicated to determining whether, and how much, Trump will have to pay for the verdict.
James has argued that the Trump Organization should owe at least $250m for profiting off loans that were awarded based on false and misleading financial statements. Trump’s lawyers have appealed the judgment, though it is unlikely to affect the trial’s proceedings.
Here’s what we know about Trump’s upcoming fraud trial.
Letitia James is the latest legal adversary to win in court against Donald Trump, and attract the former president’s ire. Here’s the Guardian’s Edward Helmore with a look at the New York attorney general’s path to power, and to suing the Trump family:
New York attorney general Letitia James has never shied away from taking on powerful adversaries – from the National Rifle Association to former New York governor Andrew Cuomo.
On Monday she will take on her biggest case yet: a fraud trial that threatens the very foundation of Donald Trump’s New York real estate empire.
Critics have accused the 64-year-old career prosecutor of using her office, with 1,700 staff and over 700 assistant attorneys general, for political purposes. To others, the Democrat is a heroic figure: the first woman elected as New York’s attorney general and the first Black person to serve in the role. A fearless prosecutor who has taken on cases others would walk away from.
Like Trump, “Tish” James was born and raised in New York City. It’s about the only thing they have in common. Raised with her seven siblings in Brooklyn, James attended public schools in the city before getting her law degree at Howard University in Washington DC.
She started her law career as a public defender before entering New York politics as a council member and then as public advocate, the first Black woman to hold the watchdog role. James’ passions were clear from the start – she filed a record number of suits on behalf of tenants, seniors and people with disabilities. James became New York state attorney general in 2018.
From the Guardian’s Lauren Aratani, here’s a recap of what has happened so far today in Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial:
Donald Trump arrived at a New York court just a few miles south of Trump Tower on Monday for the first day of a fraud trial that could see the former president and his family business paying hundreds of millions of dollars in damages and that has already threatened to end his business career in the city where it started.
The New York attorney general, Letitia James, has accused Trump of using false and misleading financial statements from 2011 to 2021 to make himself and his businesses wealthier, helping him broker deals and obtain financing. Based on her office’s three-year investigation, James is arguing that Trump owes at least $250m for committing fraud.
“This is a continuation of the single greatest witch-hunt of all time,” Trump said as he headed into court. He said his financial statements were “phenomenal,” called James, who is Black, a “racist” and a “horror show” and said the case was being overseen by a “rogue judge”.
“My message is simple: No matter how powerful you are, no matter how much money you think you may have, no one is above the law,” James said outside the court.
During the three-year investigation, James found that Trump had exaggerated the value of 23 of his properties and assets to the tune of hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars. Trump used these financial statements to obtain favorable loans and make his net worth appear higher than it actually was.
Today, Donald Trump is in a New York City courtroom, but yesterday, he was having what can only be described as a weird one, the Guardian’s Michael Sainato reports:
Faced with a litany of criminal charges, Donald Trump on Sunday told a campaign rally in Iowa that he would prefer to die by electrocution rather than be eaten by a shark if he ever found himself on a rapidly sinking, electrically powered boat.
The former president and frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination delivered the bizarre remarks during a speech in the community of Ottuma. He was pontificating over batteries for electric powered boats while recounting a conversation he claimed to have with a boat manufacturer in South Carolina.
“If I’m sitting down and that boat is going down and I’m on top of a battery and the water starts flooding in, I’m getting concerned, but then I look 10 yards to my left and there’s a shark over there, so I have a choice of electrocution and a shark, you know what I’m going to take? Electrocution,” Trump said. “I will take electrocution every single time, do we agree?”
Trump then continued criticizing the prospect of any other sustainable energy technologies and claiming he would repeal the Joe Biden White House’s electric vehicle mandate.
“These people are crazy,” Trump said.
Judge Arthur Engoron will determine damages in civil fraud trial
Donald Trump started off his day by attacking Arthur Engoron, the New York supreme court judge who will begin determining damages after finding last week that the former president and his family committed fraud.
Engoron is now set to be the latest character in Trump’s many legal dramas, and the Associated Press has a good profile of the 74-year-old judge:
He’s driven a taxi cab, played in a band and protested the Vietnam War. As a New York City judge, Arthur Engoron has resolved hundreds of disputes, deciding everything from zoning and free speech issues to a custody fight over a dog named “Stevie.”
Now, in the twilight of a distinguished two-decade career on the bench, the erudite, Ivy League-educated judge is presiding over his biggest case yet: deciding the future of former President Donald Trump’s real estate empire.
Last week, Engoron ruled that Trump committed years of fraud by exaggerating his wealth and the value of assets on financial statements he used to get loans and make deals. As punishment, the judge said he would dissolve some of Trump’s companies — a decision that could cause him to lose control of marquee New York properties, like Trump Tower.
Starting Monday, Engoron will preside over a non-jury trial in Manhattan to resolve remaining claims in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against Trump, his company and top executives. He will also decide on monetary damages. James’ office is seeking $250 million.
Trump, who is listed as a potential witness and could end up face-to-face with Engoron in court, called the judge’s fraud ruling “the corporate death penalty.” He referred to Engoron as a “political hack” and said his would appeal.
“I have a Deranged, Trump Hating Judge, who RAILROADED this FAKE CASE through a NYS Court at a speed never before seen,” the 2024 Republican frontrunner wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Through a court spokesperson, Engoron has declined to comment on Trump’s barbs. He is barred from commenting to the news media about the case.
Updated
Here’s Donald Trump in court for the opening of the damages phase of his civil fraud trial:
Trump legal team did not submit request for a jury
The damages in Donald Trump’s fraud trial will be determined not by a jury, but by one man: supreme court judge Arthur Engoron.
As the Guardian’s Hugo Lowell reports, that appears to be because the former president’s attorneys did not pay too close of attention to their paperwork:
Trump isn’t getting a jury trial in his $250m civil fraud suit brought against him by New York AG James because one of his lawyers overlooked submitting the routine request/checking boxes on the form, per two people familiar https://t.co/7zvUfytiEr
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) October 2, 2023
Updated
We won’t have much visibility into the damages phase of Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial.
CNN reports that judge Arthur Engoron has turned down media outlets’ request that cameras broadcast today’s opening statements:
And the judge overseeing Trump's civil fraud trial has just denied the request from media outlets to allow a camera in the courtroom for opening statements.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) October 2, 2023
Trump says financial statements 'phenomenal' despite being found liable for fraud
In brief remarks as he arrived at the courthouse, Donald Trump said his financial statements were “phenomenal”, even though a judge last week determined he and his family had committed fraud over the course of a decade:
'We have a racist attorney general who’s a horror show.'
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) October 2, 2023
A defiant Donald Trump continued his claims of a 'witch-hunt' while speaking to reporters as his NY civil fraud trial is due to begin, saying his financial statements are in fact 'phenomenal.' pic.twitter.com/nSMjoZhWUk
The trial opening today is expected to take several weeks, and determine the amount of damages the former president and his children will have to pay.
In an all-caps post on his Truth social account containing at least one spelling error, Donald Trump accused Letitia James of being “CORRUPT & RACIST”.
He also called the presiding supreme court judge Arthur Engoron “ROGUE, OUT OF CONTROL” and “TRUMP HATING”.
Not a red carpet but a hallway of cameras is awaiting Donald Trump at the courthouse in downtown Manhattan.
It’s the first day of Trump’s fraud trial, where a judge will determine how much the former president will have to pay for fudging financial statements over the course of a decade.
Trump late Sunday night announced that he would be making an appearance in court the following day, though it is unclear if or when he will ultimately take the witness stand.
New York attorney general Letitia James is in attendance for the first day of the trial. James’ three-year investigation into Trump found that he inflated his net worth up by hundreds of millions of dollars and raised the value of his assets on financial statements. James is arguing that Trump should pay up at least $250m in fines.
Outside the courthouse early Monday morning, a small group of anti-Trump protestors stood in the middle of the street, chanting “Trump lies all the time”.
The trial is scheduled to start at 10 am ET.
Attorney general Letitia James says 'no one is above the law'
Before stepping into the courthouse, attorney general Letitia James spoke briefly to reporters.
Here’s what she had to say:
"My message is simple: No matter how powerful you are, no matter how much money you think you may have, no one is above the law."
— The Recount (@therecount) October 2, 2023
— New York Attorney General Letitia James, outside the court where Donald Trump's latest trial is set to begin pic.twitter.com/TyhJmd7Noz
Updated
Trump arrives at New York courthouse for civil fraud trial
Donald Trump has arrived at the Manhattan courthouse where a New York supreme court judge will today open the damages phase of his and his family’s civil fraud trial, the Associated Press reports.
The former president faces the prospect of significant penalties that could cost him control of some of his major real estate holdings, including Trump Tower in New York City.
Follow along here for more on the trial’s opening day.
New York attorney general Letitia James has arrived at the Manhattan courthouse where a judge will preside over the damages phase of Donald Trump and his family’s civil fraud trial:
The trial has also attracted the usual New York City protesters:
Minutes ago, Donald Trump’s presidential campaign sent out an email attacking Letitia James, the New York state attorney general who sued him and his family, alleging fraud.
A judge agreed with her last week, setting the stage for the trial opening today that will determine how much the Trump must pay for inflating their assets in order to secure better loan terms over a period of ten years.
In typical Trump form, the email is basically a list of attack on James, including calling her a “Democratic activist” and accusing her of being “soft on crime” and preventing “New York’s police officers from doing their jobs”. James is indeed a Democrat, and if she’s been trying to frustrate the police, evidence suggests she hasn’t been very good at it.
From the Guardian’s Lauren Aratani, here’s more about Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial happening in New York City today, and why it could have major financial consequences for the ex-president and his family:
Just a few miles south of Trump Tower in New York City, a judge on Monday will hear allegations of fraud within the Trump Organization in a trial that could see Donald Trump and his family business paying hundreds of millions of dollars in damages and that has already threatened to end his business career in the city where it started.
The New York attorney general, Letitia James, has accused Trump of using false and misleading financial statements from 2011 to 2021 to make himself and his businesses wealthier, helping him broker deals and obtain financing. Based on her office’s three-year investigation, James is arguing that Trump owes at least $250m for committing fraud.
During the three-year investigation, James found that Trump had exaggerated the value of 23 of his properties and assets to the tune of hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars. Trump used these financial statements to obtain favorable loans and make his net worth appear higher than it actually was.
Trump said he will appear in court on Monday. “I’m going to Court tomorrow morning to fight for my name and reputation,” he said on his Truth Social account on Sunday.
Trump heads to New York for civil fraud trial that could see business empire dismantled
Good morning, US politics blog readers. All eyes will be on a New York City courtroom this morning, where Donald Trump is expected to appear for the start of a trial that will determine the amount he and his children must pay after a judge last week determined they committed fraud. Presided over by New York supreme court justice Arthur Engoron, the trial is scheduled to last until 22 December and the former president is on the witness list, as are his children, meaning they could be called to the stand.
The trial is among the many legal entanglements Trump is involved in, none of which appear to have dented his large lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. But the implications for Trump could be damning. If the judge agrees with New York attorney general Letitia James, he could impose a large fine on the former president, and potentially do grievous damage to the business empire Trump used as the platform to launch the political career that brought him to the White House.
Here’s what else is happening today:
Democrats are caught in the middle as far-right Republicans plan to attempt to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House of Representatives. Do they sign on to the effort, or use it as leverage to save McCarthy, in exchange for major concessions? We’ll hear lots about this today.
California has a new senator: Laphonza Butler, the president of abortion rights group EMILY’s list, who governor Gavin Newsom appointed to fill the seat Dianne Feinstein vacated when she died last week.
Karine Jean-Pierre will brief the White House press corps at 12.30pm eastern time, and perhaps elaborate on what Joe Biden thinks of all the drama in Congress.
