A bomb threat was reported at the home of the judge overseeing former President Donald Trump's New York civil fraud trial, just hours before he was due to appear in court.
New York authorities responded to the threat Thursday morning at Judge Arthur Engoron's Long Island home, but did not find a bomb. Closing arguments in the trial proceeded as scheduled.
Engoron ruled Wednesday that Trump would not be granted permission to make his own closing arguments after the former president refused to agree to terms that would have required him to stick to "relevant" matters. Nonetheless, Trump arrived at the New York courthouse Thursday morning, sharing some remarks with reporters beforehand.
"As you know, we consider this an unconstitutional witch hunt," he said. "It's election interference at the highest level. It's a disgrace. It's in coordination with the White House and Joe Biden because he can't win a campaign fairly. And we're going through it, but it is indeed a terrible witch hunt."
Judge says Trump can't give closing argument in NY fraud trial
The trial could cost Trump hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties and strip him of his ability to do business in New York.
The civil lawsuit accuses Trump of vastly inflating the value of his assets and falsifying financial statements in order to deceive banks and secure more attractive rates on loans and insurance. Defendants in the case, including Trump's sons Donald Jr. and Eric, have denied any wrongdoing and none of the former president's lenders who testified said they would have changed their decisions to loan Trump money even if his financial statements showed different numbers.
Trump's lawyers had previously asked the judge to throw out the case, a request which was denied.
Engoron's ruling could end up barring the former president from ever conducting business in New York state again. Additionally, prosecutors are seeking more than $370 million in penalties — plus interest.
