Trump Courthouse Rant Gets Instant Fact-Check From CNN’s John Berman and Paula Reid

Former President Donald Trump was instantly fact-checked by CNN after his rant as he entered the courthouse for the closing of his fraud trial.

The trial in the fraud case brought by AG James and presided over by Judge Arthur Engoron concludes with closing arguments on Thursday, January 11, 2024 — at which Trump has been forbidden to speak after his lawyers refused to agree to restrictions.

Trump ranted about the case and the judge’s ruling before he entered the courtroom, rattling off a familiar series of falsehoods.

But on Thursday’s edition of CNN News Central, anchor John Berman and chief legal analyst Paula Reid were right on the courthouse steps to call BS on Trump’s complaints:

JOHN BERMAN: Yeah, I think, as you said correctly, Kate, this was a political speech filled with some legal inaccuracies as he was describing what was taking place here. Paula Reid was with me watching this in real time. And let’s just talk about what those legal inaccuracies were so they can jump into the political discussion after.

PAULA REID: Let’s start with this idea that he’s alleging a conspiracy between the state attorney general and the White House. We know the New York state Attorney general, Letitia James. She has attended public events at the White House, and they are trying to misconstrue that as secret meetings to engage in a conspiracy to, quote, get Trump.

Now, he’s also talking about not being allowed to participate in closing arguments. And he is sort of characterizing this as a refusal by the judge.

But CNN has obtained correspondence between the Trump team and the judge here. The judge was open to allowing him to take this very unusual move of participating in closing arguments. But the judge wanted some guardrails, some restrictions.

And, John, there’s good reason for that, because what we’ve seen repeatedly during the course of these proceedings, Trump has attacked the judge, the district attorney, members of the court staff.

So the judge said, look, I’m willing to let you participate in closing arguments, but we have some restrictions. You have to focus on the material, relevant facts and not attack your accusers.

That’s pretty reasonable. But his lawyer, Trump’s lawyer Chris Kise, said this was not tenable, and the judge closed the door on this possibility. I fully expect that this issue is probably going to be re litigated at the top of these proceedings.

JOHN BERMAN: Minutes from now.

PAULA REID: Minutes from now. I think that this is going to come up again. And then Trump again, pointing to the attorney general’s campaign promise to prosecute him and trying to suggest that this is all politically motivated, the civil case.

So this is similar to what we’ve heard before with some new some new elements, the biggest being this this question of whether he’ll participate in closing.

JOHN BERMAN: And again, we’re watching for that. In the next few minutes, we will know whether or not his lawyers try to sneak that back in and at least ask for Donald Trump to deliver closing arguments right here behind us.

But as you can see, and as I think you just so correctly stated, there were some legal statements made there incorrectly. But it’s not about the law, really. It’s about the politics. It’s about the campaign. And that was very obvious as he was walking into that courtroom.

Watch above via CNN News Central.