Former President Donald Trump will not be allowed to deliver his own closing argument in his civil fraud trial in New York on Thursday, the judge overseeing the case said.

Former President Donald Trump will not be allowed to deliver his own closing argument in his civil fraud trial in New York on Thursday, the judge overseeing the case said.

Judge Arthur Engoron told Trump’s attorneys that the former president must submit to certain restrictions if he wished to address the court, which Trump’s team did not agree to. The judge said that Trump would have to limit his statement in court to “what is permissible in a counsel’s closing argument, that is, commentary on the relevant, material facts that are in evidence, and application of the relevant law to those facts.”

An email thread added to the case’s docket Wednesday showed negotiations between Engoron and Trump’s attorneys. After extending his deadline for a response, Engoron wrote Wednesday afternoon that Trump would not be allowed to speak.

“Not having heard from you by the third extended deadline (noon today), I assume that Mr. Trump will not agree to the reasonable, lawful limits I have imposed as a precondition to giving a closing statement above and beyond those given by his attorneys, and that, therefore, he will not be speaking in court tomorrow,” the judge wrote.

  • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.worldEnglish
    68·
    10 months ago

    He chose not to testify in the trial. That was his chance to make his case. He made that decision long ago because cross examination would have destroyed his claims.

    Closing arguments are a summary of your position, nothing more, and clearly he was going to try to use it as a soapbox, again.

    • thefartographer@lemm.ee
      29·
      10 months ago

      Closing arguments are where Hitler ranted for literal hours about being super-patriotic and insanely antisemitic, and it won him more followers and more loyal followers. Thank fuck Trump won’t get that same opportunity in the courtroom.

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
      15·
      10 months ago

      Oh yeah, let’s just go explain this to republicans calmly using logic…

      I’m sure it’ll only take a few minutes, I’ll reply back again once I get one to understand

    • FrickAndMortar@lemmy.world
      12·
      10 months ago

      I wish they’d required him to endure cross-examination… I’d love to see a competent lawyer dismantle his entire baloney-sandwich machine in front of his followers.