1 hr 54 min ago
Trump judge says trial is not the place to address what he's already ruled on: "That’s why we have appeals"
From CNN's Jeremy Herb
Justice Arthur Engoron speaks during the trial of former President Donald Trump for Trump's civil fraud trial at New York State Supreme Court on Tuesday. Shannon Stapleton/Pool/Getty Images
Judge Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing the New York attorney general’s civil case against Donald Trump, said Tuesday that the trial itself is not the venue for Trump’s attorneys to contest what he’s already ruled on.
“That’s why we have appeals," Engoron said.
The judge made several comments about the trial and the testimony at the start of the second day of a trial that’s expected to go into December.
Engoron clarified a comment he made Monday about testimony related to 2011 financial statements being a “waste of time.” He told Kevin Wallace, a lawyer for the attorney general’s office, to get to his point after three hours of testimony from a former Trump accountant.
"Mr. Wallace promised to connect the dots,” Engoron said.
An appellate court ruled that the statute of limitations applied to 2014, and Trump’s lawyers have pushed to dismiss allegations about deals that occurred before then.
Engoron, however, said that he has not changed last week’s ruling and his comments in court Monday afternoon only addressed evidence and testimony admissible at trial.
Engoron noted that the attorney general is suing Trump not on the underlying transactions but on the financial statements that referenced them, which occurred after 2014 and are included in the AG’s claims.
"Every use of a false financial statements in business starts the statute of limitations running again,” Engoron said. "I understand that the defendants strongly disagree with this and will appeal on those grounds."
Leaving court Monday, Trump incorrectly claimed that the judge had agreed that 80% of the attorney general’s case was thrown out because of the statute of limitations.
Last week, Engoron ruled that Trump and his co-defendants were liable for fraud. It’s one of several allegations contained in the attorney general’s civil case against Trump, but it could lead to stiff penalties for his business. The attorney general’s office is seeking to bar Trump from doing business in New York.