Trump's Social Media Attack Leads to Judge's Gag Order and Scathing Rebuke

Judge Arthur Engoron admonished Donald Trump for targeting his clerk in a derogatory and false manner on social media, leading to a stern warning against any further discussions pertaining to courtroom personnel.

"This morning, one of the defendants utilized a social media account to publish a disparaging, untruthful, and personally revealing statement regarding a valued member of my staff. Despite my subsequent order for the post's removal, it had already been disseminated via email to millions of additional recipients," the judge declared during the court proceedings.

Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, is present at the trial of himself, along with his adult sons, the Trump Organization, and other individuals, in a civil fraud case filed by state Attorney General Letitia James. The trial takes place at a courthouse in Manhattan, New York City, on October 2, 2023. The image depicts Donald Trump at the trial. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/Pool

Brendan McDermid/Pool/Reuters

New trial hits Trump's image as the ultimate winner

"Personal attacks of any member of my court staff are unacceptable, inappropriate and I will not tolerate them," the judge said.

Trump looked straight ahead at the judge as he issued the order.

The judge issued a directive, prohibiting the involved parties from making any public statements regarding the court staff.

"Regard this statement as a restraining order, preventing all parties from engaging in any form of public discussion, whether through posting, emailing, or speaking, about any individuals working in my staff," Engoron declared. "Not complying with this directive... will lead to severe penalties."

Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday to launch an attack on Engorons clerk, alleging that she had a romantic relationship with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat. He even went as far as to share a photo of the two together.

In a scathing post, Trump expressed his disapproval, stating, "This behavior is truly disgraceful! The case should be promptly dismissed."

The connection between Engorons clerk and Schumer, beyond taking a photo, was not immediately evident. CNN has contacted Schumers office for a comment.

Unusual activity was observed outside the court room during the lunch break before the judges admonishment, while Trump entered and exited multiple times during the break. Additionally, there was a brief delay before the court convened for the afternoon session.

Trump has willingly appeared in the New York civil trial for the last 48 hours. The New York Attorney General, Letitia James, has filed a lawsuit of $250 million against Trump and his co-defendants, accusing them of engaging in fraudulent activities by exaggerating asset values to obtain more favorable conditions for commercial real estate loans and insurance policies.

The desired outcome for the New York attorney general is to prevent Trump from conducting business in the state. In a recent development, the judge determined that Trump and his co-defendants bear responsibility for "persistent and repeated" fraud, which is one of the seven allegations being presented by the attorney general.

On Monday, Trump criticized the clerk in his remarks outside the courtroom, without explicitly naming her.

"This judge, a Trump hater, is completely out of line. And the person who works alongside him, she continuously interferes, shouting into his ear whenever we pose a question. It is utterly disgraceful."

The latest on Donald Trump's many legal clouds

Last week, a photo of Schumer and the clerk was shared on X, previously known as Twitter, by an unfamiliar account with fewer than 200 followers as of Tuesday.

In his own Truth Social post, Trump included the aforementioned photo as an image without claiming that the clerk was Schumer's girlfriend. He simply mentioned that the two were "palling around." Trump, however, baselessly added the claim that she was Schumer's girlfriend.

Judge: Thats why we have appeals

Earlier Tuesday, Engoron reminded Trumps attorneys that the trial itself is not the venue to contest things on which the judge has already ruled.

"Appeals exist for this reason," Engoron stated.

Engoron further explained his previous statement made on Monday regarding the testimony concerning the 2011 financial statements being deemed as a "waste of time." After three hours of testimony given by a former Trump accountant, Engoron urged Kevin Wallace, the lawyer representing the attorney general's office, to concisely convey his main argument.

Engoron stated that Mr. Wallace had made a commitment to connect the dots. Following the ruling by an appellate court that the statute of limitations would be applicable to the year 2014, lawyers representing Trump have been advocating for the dismissal of allegations pertaining to deals that transpired prior to that time.

Engoron, however, affirmed that he has upheld his previous ruling from last week and his remarks in court on Monday afternoon solely focused on the admissibility of evidence and testimony during the trial.

The judge pointed out that the attorney general is pursuing a lawsuit against Trump not based on the actual transactions themselves, but rather on the financial statements that mentioned these transactions. It is important to note that these statements were made after 2014 and are part of James' claims.

"Engoron stated that the commencement of the statute of limitations in business is triggered by any instance of utilizing falsified financial statements. He acknowledged the defendants' strong objection to this and their intention to appeal based on these grounds."

Trump made an inaccurate statement upon leaving the court on Monday, asserting that the judge had ruled in favor of dismissing 80% of the attorney generals case due to the statute of limitations.

Trump says hell testify

Trump confirmed that he would provide testimony in his civil trial, expressing this while speaking outside the courtroom during a recess.

Trump is anticipated to provide testimony at a later stage of the trial, having been listed as a witness by both the state and his own legal team. His attorney has previously expressed that the ex-president is enthusiastic about testifying in his own favor.

Further updates have been added to this story.

CNNs Daniel Dale contributed to this report.