Toward the end of the day, Judge Engoron got into an angry exchange with Trump lawyer Chris Kise, after Kise referred to the judge’s law clerk.
The judge told Kise that “there is a sense of misogyny in you referring to my female principal law clerk” and said “do not refer to my staff again. She is a civil servant.”
The same clerk drew the ire of Donald Trump near the beginning of the trial. The judge slapped the former president with a gag order after he complained she was biased and posted a picture of her on his social media platform. Trump was later fined $15,000 for violations of the gag order.
Engoron warned Kise this afternoon that if these statements continue, he “will consider expanding the gag order.” Kise countered, “I’m not a misogynist,” but he said he felt like he was “fighting two adversaries” because the clerk keeps giving the judge information. “She may have a different view of the case than you, based on her political background,” Kise said.
The judge shot back: “I have an absolute unfettered right to get advice from my principal law clerk!”
At one point, after Kise complained about the clerk passing notes, the judge got so mad he pounded the table.
An uncomfortable-looking Eric Trump was on the stand during the exchange, which occurred right before court broke for the day.
