Former President Donald Trump will not be allowed to personally make a closing argument at his New York civil fraud trial on Thursday, as he failed to agree to limitations on his speech, according to a letter from Judge Arthur Engoron to Trump's lawyer, Chris Kise.
Engoron's letter, sent on Wednesday, stated that since he had not received a response from Kise agreeing to the terms imposed on Trump for his closing argument, the judge assumed that Trump would not comply with those conditions.
The judge's order came after a series of contentious emails between Engoron and Kise regarding Trump's plan to deliver some of the defense's closing arguments. Engoron had set limitations on what Trump would be allowed to say, but Kise resisted these conditions in multiple emails.
"I won't debate this again," Engoron wrote to Kise in an email at 11:54 a.m. ET on Wednesday.
"Take it or leave it. Now or never," the judge added. "You have until noon, seven minutes from now. I WILL NOT GRANT ANY FURTHER EXTENSIONS."
The closing arguments in the case are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has accused Trump, his two adult sons, and the Trump Organization of misstating the true values of real estate assets to fraudulently inflate his net worth and obtain more favorable loans and financial benefits.
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