Donald Trump wants Judge Engoron ‘thrown off the bench’

Former President Donald Trump took aim at Judge Arthur Engoron again on Sunday calling him “CRAZY” and suggesting he should be “thrown off the Bench.”

Trump is facing a $250 million civil fraud trial stemming from a lawsuit New York Attorney General Letitia James filed last year, alleging that Trump and top executives at The Trump Organization conspired to increase his net worth by billions of dollars on financial statements provided to banks and insurers to make deals and secure loans. Trump, who is campaigning for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and is the current frontrunner, has denied any wrongdoing and has called the trial politically motivated.

Last week Engoron, who is overseeing the case, fined Trump for the second time after he violated a partial gag order imposed to stop him from attacking court staff overseeing James’ lawsuit. On October 20, Engoron first fined Trump $5,000 for violating the gag order by not removing a post from his social media site, Truth Social, more than two weeks after the judge ordered its deletion.

Trump has previously criticized Engoron, most recently calling him an “incompetent” judge and a “political hack” on Saturday for his ruling on Ivanka Trump. Engoron ruled that she must testify in person, stating that while she isn’t a defendant in the case, she still can be subpoenaed in New York because she conducted business and owns property in the state.

“I want to see her in person. That is how we prefer testimony,” the judge said.

Taking to Truth Social again on Sunday, Trump spoke about the judge in part saying, “The Trump Hating Judge in this case has gone off the rails. The case should have never been brought by the Corrupt, Racist Attorney General, but with any other Judge it would have been dismissed. Their Star Witness admitted he lied, ‘TRUMP did not Inflate Values.’ The Judge says Mar-a-Lago is worth $18,000,000, when it’s 50 to 100 times that amount. I really believe he’s CRAZY!”

Trump continued, “This Corrupt Judge doesn’t even acknowledge or accept the decision of the Appeals Court. He Gags and Fines me constantly, for no reason. He should be thrown off the “Bench” as a giant Embarrassment to New York State!”

Newsweek has reached out to a Trump spokesperson via email for comment.

Meanwhile, law professor Anthony Michael Kreis told Newsweek on Sunday, “Criminal defendants have every right to criticize judges so long as they are not engaging in activity that constitutes a threat to do them [h]arm. This is political bluster— however unwise it may be to show public disdain for a judge you have a case before— and should not be subject to punishment.”

Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg also told Newsweek on Sunday that, “Judge Engoron imposed a partial gag order on Trump, but it only applies to court staff — not the judge himself.”

Aronberg added, “As such, Trump won’t be sanctioned for these inflammatory words. This could, however, persuade the judge to broaden his gag order to include others, such as himself.”