A federal judge threatened to kick Donald Trump out of court Wednesday after the former president made repeated comments within earshot of the jury hearing a civil defamation trial against him.
Trump muttered that the case is a “witch hunt,” among other similar comments, according to a lawyer for the writer E. Jean Carroll, who is suing Trump over derogatory comments he made about her while he was president.
The episode prompted a stern rebuke from U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who repeatedly tussled with Trump and his lawyers during a testy courtroom session Wednesday morning.
“Mr. Trump has the right to be present here. That right can be forfeited, and it can be forfeited if he is disruptive, which is what has been reported to me,” the judge said.
It’s win/win for him. Either he shows how he can’t be controlled which riles up his supporters, or he can turn consequences around as evidence of the “corrupt Biden deep state” or something and get massive fundraising income and maybe convince some of his followers to launch terrorist attacks. This judge is having to weigh possible domestic terror retaliation against keeping his courtroom orderly.