Lawyer says Trump will ‘sow chaos’ at E Jean Carroll trial as at fraud hearing: Live

“If Mr Trump appears at this trial, whether as a witness or otherwise, his recent statements and behavior strongly suggest that he will seek to sow chaos,” Roberta Kaplan, an attorney for Ms Carroll said in a filing on Friday.

Citing Mr Trump’s tangent from closing arguments in his civil fraud trial, Ms Kaplan told Judge Lewis Kaplan that should Mr Trump be given time to speak freely he would possibly speak on “inadmissible, prejudicial or otherwise improper information”.

The case, which is set to begin on Tuesday, is to determine how much Mr Trump owes Ms Carroll in damages.

Donald Trump has suffered another legal setback having been ordered by a judge to pay The New York Times a total of $392,638 in legal fees as a result of failed legal action by the former president.

Back in 2021, Mr Trump sued his niece, Mary Trump, the Times, and three of its reporters, over an alleged breach of a confidentiality agreement regarding his tax records.

He alleged that the reporters were “motivated by a personal vendetta” when they took part in an “insidious plot” to get hold of his personal tax filings.

The case was dismissed by New York Supreme Court Justice Robert Reed in 2023, allowing for the Times to claw back legal costs from the plaintiff.

Justice Reed wrote in his decision, made public on Friday: “Considering the complexity of the issues presented in this action, the number of causes of action, the experience, ability and reputation of defendants’ attorneys, the considerable amount in dispute, and the attorneys’ success in dismissing the complaint against their defendants … the court finds that $392,638.69 is a reasonable value for the legal services rendered.”

A spokesperson for the Times told The Independent: “Today’s decision shows that the state’s newly amended anti-SLAPP statute can be a powerful force for protecting press freedom. The court has sent a message to those who want to misuse the judicial system to try to silence journalists.”

Iowa Republican Gov Kim Reynolds has been using an X account — unassociated with her official position — to roast former president Donald Trump.

The New York Times first reported the existence of the burner account, which has since been taken down. The Independent has reached out to Ms Reynolds’ office.

Mr Saur said that prosecution would only be allowed following impeachment and a conviction by the Senate.

He was then pressed by Judge Florence Pan, who said: “I asked you a yes or no question. Could a president who ordered SEAL Team 6 to assassinate a political rival … would he be subject to criminal prosecution?”

“Qualified yes – if he is impeached and convicted first,” replied Mr Saur.

An angry Mr Trump lashed out at the months-long fraud case against him, at which New York state prosecutors are seeking more than $370m in damages and for him to be banned from owning property in the state.

Mr Trump clashed with judge Arthur Engoron, who at one point asked the former president’s attorney to “please control” his client as he claimed he did nothing wrong and painted himself as the victim of political persecution who should be owed money for the litigation against him.

After airing footage of Mr Trump speaking, CNN anchor Brianna Keilar and co-host Boris Sanchez dug into the details of his conspiracy-laden speech point by point.

Shweta Sharma has the details:

In a typical presidential election year, candidates will spend the 11 months leading up to Election Day shaking hands and kissing babies at rallies as the primaries unfold.

Instead, the ex-president will be forced to juggle his campaign for the White House while also defending himself in federal and state courts in four different trials that are currently set to occur between January and May.

Kicking off with E Jean Carroll’s damages trial on the same day as the Iowa Caucus to his federal classified documents trial one month before the GOP convention, Mr Trump’s jam-packed schedule seemingly leaves little time for him to socialise outside of a courtroom.

How Mr Trump will manage his campaign while convincing voters he’s innocent of it all – including alleged efforts to overturn previous elections in his favour – remains to be seen.

E Jean Carroll’s lawyers warn Judge Lewis Kaplan in a letter that Donald Trump wants to “sow chaos” and create a “circus” at the upcoming defamation trial which he says he intends to attend.

Roberta Kaplan, representing Ms Carroll, cites the former president’s five-minute courtroom tirade yesterday as evidence.

The New York Attorney General’s ongoing state court civil fraud action against Mr. Trump provides a potential preview of exactly what we might expect to see at next week’s trial before this Court. In that case, Mr. Trump offered testimony contradicting the state court’s own summary judgment ruling and used his time on the stand to attack opposing counsel and the legitimacy of the proceedings.”

It takes little imagination to think that Mr. Trump is gearing up for a similar performance here—only this time, in front of a jury. Indeed, as noted above, Mr. Trump promised a second round of this same scenario in his remarks to the press just yesterday.

If Mr Trump appears at this trial, whether as a witness or otherwise, his recent statements and behavior strongly suggest that he will seek to sow chaos. Indeed, he may well perceive a benefit in seeking to poison these proceedings, where the only question for the jury is how much more he will have to pay in damages for defaming Ms Carroll. This Court should made clear from the outset that Mr. Trump is forbidden from engaging in such antics and will suffer consequences if he does so.

Ms Kaplan also questions whether he can even testify given the limitations on what he can permissibly say in court in light of the trial being limited to damages only.

Mr Trump made the announcement during a press conference after he gave the closing argument in his New York fraud trial. He said he planned to attend the defamation trial, which takes place next week on Tuesday.

“Yeah, I’m going to go to it, and I’m going to explain I don’t know who the hell she is. I have no idea,” he said.

Wednesday night’s duelling displays proved favourable for Mr Trump, whose Fox News town hall was watched by 4.3 million people, according to Nielsen Media Research.

By contrast, Ms Haley and Mr DeSantis appeared on CNN at the same time but were only viewed by 2.6 million people.

The competing events were broadcast just days before the Iowa caucuses — the first-in-the-nation chance for voters to officially throw their support behind the candidates of their choice.