'Food fight' breaks out in Trump trial over D.C. hotel document: legal analyst
MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin revealed a "food fight" broke out in the New York courtroom where the Trump Organization is on trial about the admissibility of an internal document.
Rubin, who has been posting live updates from inside the courtroom, revealed a battle between the Attorney General's Office and Donald Trump's lawyers.
At issue was an internal document from the General Services Administration about the lease of the Old U.S. Post Office building that the Trump Org. turned into a hotel, restaurant, and spa.
"Financial statements provided by Mr. Trump were qualified by his accountants as not complying with GAAP," said Jesus Suarez, Trump lawyer Chris Kise's law partner.
The defense claimed that this was proof that the statements on the Post Office lease deal weren't misleading. The AG's office said that it should be inadmissible.
When the defense moved to admit it, the AG's team objected, noting it wasn't a document from or by the Trump family; it was an internal one from GSA. The Messenger's Adam Klasfeld transcribed that Judge Arthur Engoron allowed it to be entered but put slight limitations on it. That infuriated Kise, who complained Judge Engoron was using "two sets of standards."
Lou Solomon from the AG's office counters that it’s "night-and-day different" because the state used Ivanka Trump’s communications with the GSA, not the agency’s internal documents.
Engoron told Kise: “Your constant insinuations that I have different set of standards. It’s just not true. [...] You can keep saying it if it makes you happy, that I’m favoring one side over the other [...] I don't count them. I just make the rulings as I see them."
Engoron then had a read-back of what Trump's lawyers asked Ivanka.
"That's a ridiculous question," said Engoron.
Suarez snapped at the AG's lawyers, Klasfeld characterized, "indignantly telling the judge in a speech that they're laughing at the state's table."
"They're trying to destroy thousands of jobs in this state," proclaimed Suarez.
The AG's counsel asked to strike the speech.
"They're striking. They're laughing," said Suarez.