Stefanik: New York judge ‘wrongfully denied’ Trump mistrial request in fraud trial

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) added to her previous ethics complaint against the New York judge presiding over former President Trump’s civil fraud case, alleging he “wrongfully denied” the request for a mistrial due to bias.

“A week ago, I filed an ethics complaint against Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron for his partisan antics, bias, and railroading of President Trump,” she wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “Today, I’m supplementing my ethics complaint against Judge Engoron with examples of even more of his egregious misconduct after he just wrongly dismissed President Trump’s motion for a mistrial.”

In his denial of the request Friday, Engoron said Trump’s attorney’s arguments were “utterly without merit.” 

The mistrial request alleges that Engoron was biased and committed judicial misconduct, including comments demeaning Trump and the trial itself. Engoron said Trump’s team was cherry-picking comments.

“Such argument is disingenuous and made in bad faith, as defendants omitted what I said immediately after that sentence,” Engoron said of one instance. 

Stefanik’s original ethics complaint against the judge claims Engoron is so biased against Trump that he can not properly rule the case.

“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,” she wrote last week.

The news comes a day after an appeals court judge temporarily lifted a partial gag order in the case that barred the former president from talking about Engoron’s staff.

Stefanik seemingly praised the decision as a victory in her case.

“I am pleased to see that after my ethics complaint to the New York Commission on Judicial Conduct against Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron, an appellate court has lifted the unconstitutional gag order against President Trump,” Stefanik’s statement said.  

Despite the complaints, Engoron has already ruled that Trump’s company sought lower taxes and better insurance coverage by falsely inflating and deflating the value of its assets.

Prosecutors in the fraud trial — brought forth by New York Attorney General Letitia James — are seeking more than $250 million in financial penalties and to bar Trump and his adult children from operating businesses in New York.