CNN anchor Kate Bolduan was recently shocked when news that former President Donald Trump walked out of court during closing arguments in the defamation trial involving E. Jean Carroll — whom Trump was found liable by a New York jury for sexually abusing and defaming via Mediaite.
It was a dramatic day in court, as Judge Lewis Kaplan threw a Trump spokesman out of court, scolded Trump for blurting things out loudly while his attorney was speaking, and struck much of the brief testimony Trump offered on the witness stand.
But on Friday’s edition of CNN News Central, Bolduan was stunned when even more dramatic developments came in to her earpiece as she interviewed a guest — namely that Trump stormed out of court during closing arguments:
KATE BOLDUAN: My control room just got in my ear saying that Donald Trump just walked out of court in the middle of closing arguments as the prosecution is up first.
Carroll is seeking more than $10 million in damages from the former president and before the jury walked in– There’s a lot going on.
The judge reminded everyone that they have to stay quiet during closings, saying this, quote, “there are to be no interruptions by anybody, no audible comments by anybody else.’.
And now Trump we know has walked out.
Joining me now to talk more about this is former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti. Renato, there’s a whole lot going on. And this is closing arguments. I mean, I’ve got you’ve got you’ve got Habba being asked if Donald Trump was going to show up. He shows up ten minutes late, the judge warning nobody, everybody to not have disruptions. And then I’m just hearing in my ear that Donald Trump has walked out of court. Why is th–? Are closing arguments normally this eventful.
RENATTO MARIOTTI: No. But I will say that one strategy, that defense counsel used sometimes even in criminal trials, is to try to distract the jury when the prosecution is giving their closing argument.
…
KATE BOLDUAN: Okay, so I’m getting a little more information about what came out, what happened with this walkout. And again, I was saying prosecution, I misspoke, it’s plaintiffs.
It says it’s from our reporters in the room. It’s not clear why Trump left the courtroom. When Trump walked out, Kaplan was in the middle of telling the jury that Trump did not respect the prior jury verdict, quote, “not even for 24 hours after.”
This is Roberta Kaplan, by the way, not the judge. The plaintiff’s attorney who was speaking there.
After Trump left, Judge Lewis Kaplan briefly interrupted Roberta Kaplan to say “the record will reflect that Mr. Trump just rose and walked out of the courtroom. It’s just all of this playing out in real time is fascinating, Renato.
RENATTO MARIOTTI: Absolutely. I mean, he really is thumbing his nose at the process.
