A New York state court employee was arrested Wednesday after she tried to approach former President Donald Trump — claiming she wanted to help him — during his ongoing civil fraud trial in Manhattan, officials said.
The woman, identified by police as Jenny Hannigan, was charged with contempt of court for disrupting proceedings in Manhattan Supreme Court just before noon “by standing up and walking to the front of the courtroom yelling at Mr. Trump,” Office of the Court administration spokesman Lucian Chalfen said.
A Post reporter in the courtroom at the time did not hear Hannigan scream, but he was caught talking loudly in the hallway after being escorted out.
Hannigan, 37 – from Baldwin, NY – is a secretary for a judge in Queens, according to court sources. No one answered the phone number at the address listed for him there.
Hannigan, wearing a black dress and matching blazer, was stopped by court officials before she could approach Trump, 77, and his attorney — who was sitting at the defense table, Chalfen said in a statement.
“Neither party was ever in danger,” he said.
When the former president left court that day at about 3:30 p.m., he said he had no idea about the woman’s arrest — or the commotion it had caused.
A woman is being held in contempt of court for allegedly disrupting Trump’s fraud trial.Steven Hirsch
“Who was arrested? We don’t know anything about it,” he told reporters.
Hannigan was first asked to sit in the courtroom gallery before an officer asked to speak with him outside the room around 11:45 a.m.
He entered a media-filled hallway – speaking loudly and saying he was scared – as a group of officers surrounded him, asking him to lower his voice.
After escorting Hannigan down to the first floor, officers handcuffed him while yelling “Help me!” “Save me!” for several minutes, according to court sources.
Meanwhile, inside the courtroom at 60 Center Street, testimony by Doug Larson, a real estate appraiser, continued without major interruption while the drama unfolded outside.
Hannigan was charged with one count of second-degree contempt of court for interfering with proceedings and given a desk appearance ticket.
He allegedly tried to get close to Donald Trump and help him while the trial was underway.Steven Hirsch
He has been placed on administrative leave and barred from the state courthouse pending an investigation into the incident, Chalfen said.
Earlier, Trump appeared agitated during Larson’s testimony – seen muttering to his lawyers, shaking his head and gesticulating as outside evaluators were berated by Trump’s lawyers.
Trump’s behavior prompted Kevin Wallace – a lawyer in the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James – to object, saying: “Can the defendant stop commenting during witness testimony?”
Judge Arthur Engoron — who decided the case, not the jury — issued a broad warning to anyone in the courtroom, including Trump and others, to remain silent “especially if it is intended to influence the testimony” of witnesses.
Trump’s lawyers then claimed that Larson had lied on the stand — and Larson was eventually told to leave the room while the lawyers and the judge discussed the claim.
The perjury claims stemmed from questions about whether Larson had worked with the Trump Org. guard Jeff McConney, a co-defendant in the case, to value Trump’s property in 2013.
Trump attended the $250 million fraud trial against him for the second day in a row.REUTERS
While questioning Larson, Trump lawyer Lazaro Fields accused him of testifying Tuesday that he did not work with McConney — while producing emails Larson communicated with McConney at the time.
“You’re lying, Mr. Larson, aren’t you?” Fields said raising his voice.
“I don’t. That’s what I remember,” Larson replied.
Trump attorney Chris Kise then took the stand and interjected that Larson should be advised of his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself – drawing an audible gasp from the lawyers at the AG’s desk.
“He lied yesterday, in my opinion,” Kise said during the hearing — while the Attorney General’s office accused the former president’s legal team of upping the ante for the assembled media.
The woman is a court employee and is barred from entering the court building pending an investigation into the incident.Steven Hirsch
“This is a show for the press sitting behind us, and not a real legal issue,” Wallace said after a court official escorted Larson out of the room.
“This is witness intimidation!” AG attorney Colleen Kelly Faherty shouted.
The two sides continued the heated discussion after Larson left the room. Kise said Larson should take a break from testifying to talk to his attorney about the potential risks of his perjury.
“Unlike the government, I take that right seriously,” Kise hissed — again to the chagrin of the Attorney General.
After several minutes, Engoron ordered Larson to take the stand again — suggesting that “I don’t see any contradictions” in his testimony.
Trump is alleged to have exaggerated his assets for the purposes of loans and insurance.Steven Hirsch
Larson, an executive vice president at real estate company Newmark, testified for the majority Tuesday as well — the same day Trump returned to court after attending the first three-day hearing two weeks ago.
“My role here is to get witnesses to testify,” said Engoron. “If he swears, he swears to himself. If not, he has nothing to worry about.”
Larson told the court that in 2015 he had appraised Trump’s 71-story commercial skyscraper at 40 Wall St. in the Financial District.
The AG’s office, in its fraud lawsuit, has alleged that the Trump Org overstated the value of the inflated property at $735.4 million in 2015 — even though an appraisal ordered by the lender pegged it at $540 million.
After Larson completed his testimony Wednesday, Jack Weisselberg, son of former Trump Org CFO Allen Weisselberg, was called to the witness stand at the AG’s office.
The younger Weisselberg testified about a series of loans he helped arrange for real estate companies as an executive at lender Ladder Capital while his father worked at the Trump Org.
Trump has vehemently denied the allegations and accused the case of a political witch hunt against him.Steven Hirsch
The loans included those used to fund a $25 million Trump University settlement paid to 6,000 students who said they were defrauded by the former president’s now-defunct real estate training program, Weisselberg testified.
All the big loans he made with the Trump Org had to be personally approved by the former president himself, Weisselberg said.
The elder Weisselberg testified last week over two days in which he tried to play down Trump’s interest in doubling the value of his Manhattan Trump Tower penthouse triplex.
The father served prison time and was released earlier this year after he pleaded guilty to cheating on his taxes while he worked for Trump’s company.
His testimony at the criminal trial also helped the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office obtain a guilty verdict in his tax fraud case against the Trump Org.
Trump told reporters as he left court Wednesday that he “probably” won’t return for the hearing the next day because of an upcoming golf tournament at his golf club in Miami, Fla.
He did not have to attend the civil trial.
Trump Golf Doral hosts the LIV Golf Team Championship on Oct. 20-22.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
