New York, United States

Donald Trump was admonished by a judge at his New York fraud trial on Wednesday. The judge warned Trump and others to "stop commenting" during witness testimonies. 

Advertisment

This happened after Trump, in frustration, threw up his hands and engaged in animated conversation with his lawyers while a witness testified against him on the stand.

'Stop commenting'

On the second day of testimony at the Manhattan trial, Trump had an animated conversation with his lawyers while real-estate appraiser Doug Larson was on the stand.

Advertisment

Also read | Donald Trump's politically incorrect language sparks fears of violence

State lawyer Kevin Wallace raised concerns to Judge Arthur Engoron, requesting that the defence be asked to "stop commenting during the witness's testimony," as the "exhortations" were audible to the witness.

Judge Engoron then advised all parties to keep their voices down, "particularly if it’s meant to influence the testimony."

Advertisment

The Larson testimony

The trial threatens to disrupt Trump's real estate empire and affluent image. Over the past few weeks, prosecutors have been constructing a case demonstrating that Trump and his family intentionally inflated property values. 

However, Trump's defence contends that valuations were accurate, and any discrepancies were others' fault.

Trump, as per The Guardian, grew agitated as estate appraiser Doug Larson testified.

His lawyer Lazaro Fields accused Larson of dishonesty and tried to establish that Larson had, at one point, undershot the projected 2015 value of a Trump-owned Wall Street office building by $114mn. 

Also read | Donald Trump accuses Biden administration of funding 'Hamas' terror campaign'

However, Larson testified that the "values were not wrong—it's what we knew at the time."

It was during this exchange that Trump threw up his hands.

Larson testified that the Trump Organisation's former controller Jeffrey McConney hadn't obtained his permission to cite him as an outside expert in the valuation spreadsheets used to make Trump's financial statements. He also said he never consulted with Trump's company. 

This led to Trump's lawyer accusing Larson of lying, which then triggered a heated exchange between the opposing sides, including accusations of witness intimidation.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.