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Stefanik hits Trump NY trial judge with formal complaint

over 'bizarre behavior' and 'bias'
Stefanik said Engoron's 'behavior has no place in our judicial system'
By Elizabeth Elkind Fox News

Published November 10, 2023 9:45am EST

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FOX News correspondent Nate Foy reports on former President Donald Trump taking the stand in his civil fraud trial on ‘Special Report.’

The No. 3 House Republican leader is wading into the dramatic New York civil trial of
former President Donald Trump, accusing the judge involved of exhibiting "bias" and
"bizarre behavior" in the courtroom.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., filed an ethics complaint against Judge Arthur Engoron on
Friday morning in a letter to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

"Iwrite today to express my serious concerns about the inappropriate bias and judicial
intemperance shown by Judge Arthur F. Engoron in New York’s lawsuit against President
Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization," Stefanik said in her letter.

"This judge’s bizarre behavior has no place in our judicial system, where Judge Engoron is
not honoring the defendant’s rights to due process and a fair trial," the letter continued.

IVANKA TRUMP TESTIFIES SHE WAS NOT INVOLVED IN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HER
FATHER’S FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is going after New York State Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron via an ethics complaint.

"These serious concerns are exacerbated by the fact that the defendant is the leading
candidate for President of the United States, and it appears the judicial system is being
politicized to affect the outcome of the campaign," Stefanik wrote.

This historic trial over whether the Trump Organization and its top officials knowingly
misrepresented the value of multiple real estate holdings over the years has seen Trump
and his three adult children all testify in a downtown New York City courtroom this month.

TRUMP DEMANDS JURY, SAYS NEW YORK AG HAS 'NO CASE' IN HEATED TESTIMONY

New York State Attorney General Letitia James brought the civil case, which is now in non-
trial in Engoron’s court.

Trump allies have accused Engoron of acting with bias from the beginning of the trial,
when cameras caught him smiling when they were allowed into the courtroom in those
initial moments.

New York Attorney General Letitia James brought a civil case against the Trump Organization. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty
Images)

Stefanik cited that and other reported incidents in her Friday letter, as well as a limited gag
order Engoron imposed on Trump and his lawyers citing a deluge of threats to himself
,

and his staff since the trial started.

"Judge Engoron has gone on to gag and fine President Trump for merely criticizing Judge
Engoron’s law clerk, which is core political speech protected by the First Amendment,"
Stefanik said. "If anyone in America must have the constitutional right to speak out
against the judge, his staff, the witnesses, or the process, it’s a defendant going through a
process he believes is politicized and weaponized against him."

TRUMP, JUDGE ENGORON TRADE JABS DURING FORMER PRESIDENT'S TESTIMONY IN

CIVIL TRIAL STEMMING FROM NYAG LAWSUIT

She also lashed out at him for valuing Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida "between $18
and 27.6 million," a number Stefanik and the ex-president’s allies have called implausibly
low.

Former President Donald Trump was in court in downtown Manhattan earlier this month.

"This is yet another example why Judge Engoron demonstrated bad judgment by keeping
this case, instead of sending it to the expert judges in the Commercial Division where it
belongs," she said. "Judge Engoron’s bizarre and biased behavior is making New York’s
judicial system a laughingstock."

Trump himself has attacked Engoron on his social media app Truth Social, most recently
accusing him of colluding with James against him.

When asked for comment on Stefanik's letter, Commission Administrator Robert H.

Tembeckjian said: "All matters before the Commission on Judicial Conduct are
confidential according to law, unless and until a judge is found to have committed ethical
misconduct, and a decision to that effect is issued."

Fox News Digital also reached out to the New York State Unified Court System for
comment but did not immediately hear back.

Elizabeth Elkind is a reporter for Fox News Digital focused on Congress as well as the intersection of
Artificial Intelligence and politics. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com

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