Donald Trump’s Social Media Attacks are Adding Up as ‘Serious’ Threats For NY Judge and Clerk

Former president Donald Trump's frequent public criticism of the judge and court staff of the New York City court has sparked a wave of physical threats and letters containing antisemitic, racist, and sexist slurs. Court filings filed at the appeal court state that the threats are "serious and credible and not hypothetical or speculative." Judge Engoron's lawyer, Lisa Evans, justified in a court document her vehement opposition to the removal of Trump's gag orders, which an appeals court put on hold last week while it examined the circumstances, per HuffPost.

A sworn declaration from Charles Hollon, a member of the court system's threat assessment section, was submitted by Evans. According to Hollon, his team has proof of threats made through social media, phone, and email to Engoron, his employees, and his family members even before the trial started. Trump's disparaging remarks against Judge Arthur Engoron's chief legal clerk, Allison Greenfield, in one specific Truth Social post from October 3 sparked "hundreds of threatening and harassing voicemail messages against her that have been transcribed into over 275 single-spaced pages."

One of the threats detailed by the report simply stated, per Raw Story, "You should be assassinated." Another message threatened, “Trust me when I say this. I will come for you. I don’t care. Ain’t nobody gonna stop me either.”

Greenfield has been observed delivering notes to the judge during hearings as part of her official duties, which involve helping Engoron by answering questions and offering advice. This has drawn criticism from Trump's wide support base. Without any proof, Trump had alleged that Allison Greenfield, the legal clerk, was his rival Sen. Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) "girlfriend" and was overseeing the trial in secret. “This rogue judge is a Trump hater. The only one that hates Trump more is his associate up there, this person that works with him, and she’s screaming into his ear,” Trump told reporters in October, apparently referring to Greenfield.

Greenfield "has been subjected to, daily, harassing, disparaging comments and antisemitic tropes." Hollon also shared that Greenfield reported getting between 20 and 30 calls on her cellphone and between 30 and 50 messages on her "combined sites of social media, LinkedIn, and two (2) personal email addresses" each day.

Trump has paid $15,000 in fines for violating the gag order since Engoron initially placed one on him at the beginning of October. On November 22, Attorney General Letitia James, who filed the fraud lawsuit, pleaded for the quick reinstatement of the gag order to ensure the safety of all parties participating in the trial.

The lawsuit against Trump alleges that the former president and his two adult sons routinely misrepresented the worth of their properties to get better loan conditions and reduced tax obligations. Since Engoron has already rendered a summary judgment decision against Trump declaring that he did commit fraud, the remainder of the trial now is to determine damages.