Donald Trump’s lawyers have had discussions with the judge presiding over his New York civil fraud trial on allowing the former president to speak in his defense during closing arguments Thursday, sources familiar with the planning tell CNN.
Judge Arthur Engoron said Trump could only speak in the courtroom with some restrictions, the sources said.
Trump, however, did not want to agree to any pre-conditions as of late Tuesday, one source told CNN, so it’s unclear what will happen in the courtroom Thursday.
Another source said that Trump’s attorneys are still preparing for the former president to be part of the summation.
Trump and his team have used his court appearances to claim election interference by Joe Biden, paint his legal woes as political persecution, and draw media attention away from his Republican rivals who have struggled to chip away at his significant lead in the polls.
The closing arguments are coming two days after Trump’s lackluster appearance in a Washington, DC, courtroom yielded less fanfare than the former president has grown accustomed to while dropping in and out of the courthouse in New York.
Trump appeared on Tuesday at the US Court of Appeals for oral arguments over his presidential immunity claims. While Trump can choose to attend the proceedings, his appearance also was meant to be a distraction from his GOP rivals six days ahead of the Iowa caucuses.
Trump’s advisers had warned him that the federal courthouse would not give him an opportunity to seize the spotlight. He stayed at his private club in Virginia, traveled by motorcade to Washington, where there was no aerial coverage because of flight restrictions in the nation’s capital, drove into a garage and entered the courtroom with no cameras or microphones.
While Trump insisted on attending the hearing, he decided to…
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