Ahead of closing arguments in his New York civil fraud trial Thursday, former President Donald Trump bemoaned presiding Judge Arthur Engoron rescinding permission for him to speak during the proceedings, crying foul and dubbing the case unconstitutional. “It’s election interference at the highest level," Trump said, claiming the case is "in coordination with the White House and Joe Biden cause he can’t win a campaign fairly." He added: "I have no jury, I really have no rights, and it’s sad."
Trump went on to claim he was disallowed from making the summation because he'll discuss matters the judge "doesn't want to hear." He repeated his frequent complaint about the case not having a jury, which Engoron made clear early in the trial that no one had requested, and further defended his financial statements. Trump also took aim at New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the case against him and accused him of inflating his assets to obtain better loan terms.
CNN anchor John Berman and chief legal analyst Paula Reid quickly fact-checked the former president's claims on the courthouse steps, with Berman dubbing the rant a "political speech filled with some legal inaccuracies," according to Mediaite. Trump's claims against James are "trying to misconstrue" her attendance at public White House events "as secret meetings to engage in a conspiracy" against him, Reid began. For his part, the judge was also open to allowing Trump to speak during closing arguments but wanted to impose some restrictions, a measure Trump's lawyers refused, Reid added, citing correspondence CNN obtained between the judge and Trump's team. "It’s not about the law, really. It’s about the politics," Berman concluded. "It’s about the campaign. And that was very obvious as he was walking into that courtroom."
