A federal judge threatened to eject Donald Trump from a Manhattan courtroom on Wednesday for mouthing off during writer E. Jean Carroll's defamation trial testimony, per CNN.
Carroll brought the case against Trump, who has already been found liable of sexually abusing and defaming her, after he continued to tout falsehoods about her and claimed that she lied about him assaulting her in a New York department store dressing room in the 90s. One of Carroll's lawyers, Shawn Crowley, had already called out the former president earlier during the trial on Wednesday for muttering so "loudly" that the plaintiff table could hear, alleging that Trump was shaking his head as if refuting Carroll's testimony and saying she "suddenly gotten her memory back," according to Politico's Erica Orden.
"I’m just going to ask that Mr. Trump take special care to keep his voice down when he’s conferring with counsel so that the jury does not overhear it," Kaplan told Trump's team.
Crowley then complained for a second time to Judge Lewis Kaplan after Trump allegedly did not let up in the afternoon. According to CNN, Crowley also heard Trump call the trial a "witch-hunt" and a "con job." ABC reported that Crowley also noted that when a video of Trump disparaging E. Jean Carroll was played for the court to view, Trump said "It's true."
“Mr. Trump has the right to be present here," Kaplan said. "That right can be forfeited and it can be forfeited if he is disruptive, which what has been reported to me consists of. And if he disregards court orders, Mr. Trump, I hope I don’t have to consider excluding you from the trial.”
“I understand you’re probably eager for me to do that,” Kaplan said after the ex-president threw his hands in the air.
"I would love it, I would love it," Trump replied.
“I know you would,” the judge said. “You just can’t control yourself in this circumstance apparently.”
