NY court says employee arrested after disrupting Trump’s fraud trial

A New York court employee was arrested Wednesday after approaching the bench to attempt to talk to former President Trump, who is attending his fraud trial in person this week in Manhattan.

Lucian Chalfen, a spokesperson for the court, said the individual disrupted the trial by standing up and walking toward the front of the courtroom, yelling out to Trump and indicating that she wanted to “assist him.” The person was stopped by court officers before nearing Trump or his counsel, and “none of the parties were ever in any danger,” Chalfen said.

The individual, who was later determined to be a court employee, has been charged with contempt of court in the second degree, which is disrupting a court proceeding, Chalfen added.

The person has been placed on “immediate administrative leave” pending an investigation and is prohibited from entering any facility of the New York State Unified Court System “until further notice,” Chalfen said.

No further information about the employee is available at this time, Chalfen said.

The outburst occurred during Trump’s second bout attending his fraud trial in person. He was present for the start of the trial earlier this month, though his in-person appearance is required.

Trump lawyer Chris Kise indicated to The Hill that he didn’t notice a commotion in the courtroom Wednesday. The Hill has requested comment from the New York attorney general’s office.

New York Attorney General Letitia James’s (D) office sued Trump, the Trump Organization and his two adult sons — Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump — last year, alleging decades of fraud. The lawsuit claims the Trump Organization falsely inflated and deflated the value of its assets to receive lower taxes and better insurance coverage.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing, describing the case as a politically motivated “witch hunt” and both James and the trial judge as biased against him. 

Updated 2:58 p.m.