By Dan Berman, Kara Scannell, Lauren del Valle and Jeremy Herb, CNN
From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia
Former President Donald Trump spoke to reporters outside of the courtroom before closing arguments, calling the $370 million lawsuit against him and his company an “unconstitutional witch hunt."
It's "election interference at the highest level" and a "disgrace," Trump said, statements that have been a constant since New York Attorney General Letitia James filed the lawsuit.
From CNN's Jeremy Herb, Kara Scannell and Lauren del Valle
Donald Trump plans to attend closing arguments for his New York civil fraud trial Thursday, where the former president’s business empire in the state is at stake.
Trump is not expected to speak in court, however, after Judge Arthur Engoron rejected a request because Trump would not agree to restrictions on what he could discuss.
The last-minute drama over Trump’s role at the final day of the civil fraud trial encapsulates what has been a bitter, argument-filled, three-month-long circus pitting Trump and his attorneys against both the New York attorney general’s office and the judge overseeing the case.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking $370 million in damages and to bar Trump from doing business in the state, alleging that Trump, his adult sons and his company defrauded banks and insurance companies by inflating the value of Trump’s assets.
Engoron already ruled that Trump and his co-defendants were liable for persistent and repeated fraud before the trial began. The 11-week trial late last year was held to determine the scope of damages and six additional claims from the attorney general, including conspiracy, issuing false financial statements, falsifying business records, and insurance fraud.
Trump has railed against the trial, accusing the attorney general and the judge of participating in a political attack against him. He attended the trial over multiple days and testified at the trial, turning the witnesses stand and his statements outside of the courtroom into extensions of his campaign rallies.
“THIS IS A RIGGED AND UNFAIR TRIAL — NO JURY, NO VICTIMS, A GREAT FINANCIAL STATEMENT” Trump said on his Truth Social account Wednesday.
Engoron will not issue a decision on Thursday. He said he will issue a written order by the end of the month at the earliest. Trump’s attorneys have already appealed Engoron’s initial ruling against Trump and repeatedly made clear during the case that they plan to appeal his subsequent decision, too.
From CNN's Lauren del Valle and Kara Scannell
Judge Arthur Engoron already ruled before the start of the New York civil fraud trial that former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants committed “persistent and repeated” fraud.
The judge is now considering how much the Trumps will have to pay in damages for the profits they’ve allegedly garnered through fraudulent business practices, including inflating Trump’s worth on financial statements.
The attorney general is seeking to prove six additional claims:
The attorney general is also seeking to ban the Trumps from doing business in New York.
The trial saw a slew of fireworks, including the judge imposing two fines on Donald Trump totaling $15,000 for violating his gag order forbidding anyone from commenting about his staff. Trump had repeatedly criticized Engoron’s law clerk.
From CNN's Dan Berman
Former President Donald Trump's motorcade has arrived at the courthouse in Lower Manhattan for the closing arguments in the $370 million civil fraud trial.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the lawsuit against the former president, his adult sons and his company, also has walked into the building. On top of the damages, James wants to bar Trump from doing business in the state.
Court is expected to begin at 10 a.m. ET.
From CNN's Jeremy Herb, Kara Scannell and Lauren del Valle
Donald Trump had planned to attend the closing arguments for days, but he added a twist last week when his lawyers told Judge Arthur Engoron that the former president planned to make part of the presentation himself.
That lead to a what became a contentious back-and-forth between Engoron and Trump attorney Chris Kise.
Engoron said that he would allow Trump to speak if he would agree to state on the record that he would limit his subjects to what was permissible in a closing argument, noting there was also a gag order on statements about court officials.
“He may not seek to introduce new evidence. He may not ‘testify.’ He may not comment on irrelevant matters,” Engoron wrote in an email to Kise released as part of the court record on Wednesday. “In particular, and without limitation, he may not deliver a campaign speech, and he may not impugn myself, my staff, plaintiff, plaintiffs staff, or the New York State Court System, none of which is relevant to this case.”
Kise responded that Trump would not agree to such terms.
“He cannot agree (nor would i recommend he do so) to the proposed preconditions and prior restraints,” Kise wrote.
Engoron pushed back in an email Tuesday: “Your and your client's rejection of the reasonable, normal limits I am imposing on any argument by Mr. Trump, which are the same limits that the law imposes on any person making a closing argument, completely justifies the need to impose them.”
Engoron extended the deadline to agree to the terms more than once — Trump's attorneys had noted the recent death of Melania Trump's mother and also wanted to delay the entire court session — and gave Trump’s team a final chance just before noon Wednesday.
“I won't debate this yet again. Take it or leave it. Now or never. You have until noon, seven minutes from now. I WILL NOT GRANT ANY FURTHER EXTENSIONS," Engoron wrote.
So how did things end? The deadline was not met. Trump will still be free to speak outside the courtroom on camera, just as he has done whenever he attended the trial.
From CNN's Laura Dolan
Former President Donald Trump has departed Trump Tower and is now en route to court in downtown Manhattan where he will voluntarily attend closing arguments for his civil fraud trial.
About the civil fraud trial: In post-trial briefs filed last week, New York Attorney General Letitia James increased the amount of damages she is seeking from $250 million to $370 million in damages.
She also wants to bar Trump from doing business in the state, alleging that Trump, his adult sons and his company defrauded banks and insurance companies by inflating the value of Trump's assets.
From CNN's Dan Berman and Kara Scannell
Thursday's bomb threat to the house of New York Judge Arthur Engoron is the latest in the series of threats the judge and one of his clerks have received over the course of the trial that began last fall.
Since October 3, when Trump posted on social media a baseless allegation about Engoron's law clerk, threats against the judge “increased exponentially” and were also directed to his clerk, Charles Hollon, a court officer-captain in New York assigned to the Judicial Threats Assessment unit of the Department of Public Safety, said in November.
Hollon said the threats against the judge and his clerk are “considered to be serious and credible and not hypothetical or speculative.”
Details in a court filing outline dozens of messages daily, phone doxing and the use of antisemitic language.
Hollon said Engoron’s law clerk has received 20 to 30 calls per day to her personal cell phone and 30 to 50 messages daily on social media platforms and two personal email addresses.
From CNN's Kara Scannell
There was a bomb threat at the home of New York Judge Arthur Engoron hours before closing arguments in the Trump civil fraud trial were set to begin Thursday.
"We're aware there was a bomb threat against Justice Engoron, said Al Baker, a spokesperson for the court administration.
The Nassau County, New York, police department and bomb squad responded, a person familiar with the matter said.
"We've had layers of security protocols in place since the onset of the proceedings. They will continue," the spokesman said. He added extra layers of security have been added for Engoron's safety.
"We anticipate the proceedings to continue as planned, he said.
From CNN's Jeremy Herb, Lauren del Valle and Kara Scannell
Both parties are set to present oral closing arguments on Thursday to cap off the civil fraud trial against former President Donald Trump.
Testimony in the 11-week trial concluded on December 13 in New York. The ruling could decide the fate of the former president’s business empire.
The drama in and out of the courtroom offered a preview of Trump’s criminal trials slated to begin later this year. Trump used the hallways, flanked with cameras, outside of the courtroom to campaign and rail against the case and throw barbs at New York Attorney General Letitia James and Judge Arthur Engoron.
Trump also was hit with a gag order after attacking one of the judge’s clerks.
Before the trial began, Engoron found Trump and his co-defendants were liable for fraud; the trial would determine what they could owe in improper gains and six additional claims brought by the attorney general. The attorney general is seeking more than $250 million and to bar the Trumps from doing business in the state.
Now, Engoron will determine how much the Trumps and their company must pay in disgorgement and the fate of their business in New York. The judge said he’ll aim to file a written decision on the docket by the end of January.
