A judge who recently found former President Donald Trump liable for fraud and ordered him to pay $454 million has decided not to recuse himself from the case despite Trump's request. Judge Arthur Engoron, who is presiding over the case that is currently on appeal, dismissed Trump's allegations of 'prohibited communications' with a real estate lawyer as grounds for recusal. In an order issued on Thursday, Engoron expressed confidence in his ability to remain impartial and stated that his recusal at this stage would cause 'immense prejudice' due to the lengthy litigation process.
Trump's legal team had requested the judge's recusal following an interview published by NBC with real estate attorney Adam Bailey on the day the verdict was announced. Bailey reportedly claimed to have spoken with Judge Engoron about the case prior to the decision, but clarified that their discussion was limited to the September summary judgment ruling. NBC stood by its reporting despite the controversy.
In his ruling, Engoron described an encounter with Bailey outside the courthouse in February as a brief and inconsequential incident. He emphasized that he did not base any of his decisions on the lawyer's comments and dismissed Bailey's claims as unfounded and defamatory. The judge also stated that he was unaware of any investigation by the Commission on Judicial Conduct and had not been contacted by the review group.
