Police respond to bomb threat at home of judge overseeing Trump fraud case

Authorities responded to a bomb threat at the home of the judge overseeing former President Trump’s New York civil fraud case Thursday, just hours before closing arguments are expected in the trial.

A court official confirmed to The Associated Press that police were looking into a threat at Judge Arthur Engoron’s home on Long Island.

“There was a threat. I can confirm a bomb threat,” Al Baker, a court spokesperson, said, per the AP. “As of now we are going forward as scheduled and the court proceedings and closing arguments are going ahead as planned.” 

Baker told The Hill the court has had security protocols in place since the beginning of proceedings and will continue with added layers of security out of an abundance of caution.

The New York Attorney General’s Office and Baker also confirmed the court expects the trial to continue as planned.

The Nassau County Police Department told The Hill it responded to a “swatting incident” in Great Neck Gardens but did not confirm the name of the resident.

The Hill reached out to the court for further comment. 

New York Attorney General Letitia James’s $250 million lawsuit — against Trump, his two adult sons and the Trump Organization — alleges the former president’s company falsely inflated and deflated the value of its assets in order to obtain lower taxes and better insurance coverage. Trump and his sons have denied the claims. 

The trial began in October.

Multiple media reports surfaced earlier this week that Trump intended to deliver his own closing argument, but Engoron rejected the move after his legal team could not guarantee he would adhere to matters “relevant” to the case. 

In an email chain for the request last week, Engoron said he would permit Trump to make his closing argument if he agreed on the record to “limit his subjects” to what’s permissible in a lawyer’s closing argument. He added that if Trump violated any rules, he wouldn’t hesitate to “cut him off mid-sentence and admonish him,” end his closing argument or fine him if he violated the gag order. 

A lawyer within James’s office also objected to Trump presenting his own closing argument, arguing last week that he “is certainly not permitted to do so as of right.”

Trump railed against Engoron’s decision Wednesday on Truth Social, claiming the judge and James “are working closely together to ‘screw me.’” 

He and Engoron have gone back and forth on numerous occasions throughout the trial, including in a separate legal battle over a gag order imposed early in the case. 

The former president has also repeatedly accused Engoron and James of being biased against him, calling them “Trump haters,” “frauds” and “political hacks,” while on the witness stand. 

Closing arguments, expected to start Thursday, will allow each side two hours and 15 minutes to make their final presentations to the judge.

The case could be decided before the end of the month.

Updated at 10:21 a.m. ET