Donald Trump has slammed the judge in his New York civil fraud trial, claiming he mocked a "highly respected" witness.
Speaking on his Truth Social media platform, Trump said Judge Arthur Engoron "mocked and excoriated" a "highly respected Expert Witness." Trump did not name the witness he was talking about, but Engoron ruled on Monday that Eli Bartov did not provide credible testimony.
Engoron wrote: "Bartov is a tenured professor, but the only thing his testimony proves is that for a million or so dollars, some experts will say whatever you want them to say."
Bartov was paid around $1,350 an hour in relation to the case. For 650 hours work, the New York University Stern School of Business research professor came away with $877,500. In all, the Trump team paid a total of 19 witnesses $2.5 million.
Trump holds a press conference on September 26, 2018 in New York City. In a Truth Social post, Trump has criticized the judge in his New York civil fraud trial, claiming he "mocked and excoriated" a "highly respected Expert Witness." John Moore/Getty Images
Furious, Trump said: "Judge Engoron challenges the highly respected Expert Witness for receiving fees, which is standard and accepted practice for Expert Witnesses. The ignorant Judge did not even try to listen to the Expert Witness. This is a great insult to a man of impeccable character and qualifications."
Engoron already ruled that Trump did commit fraud while filing his financial statements and deceived lenders in the processed. As a result, he said Bartov "lost credibility" by "doggedly attempting to justify every misstatement."
Barton told Newsweek that Engoron's ruling was a "mischaracterization" of his testimony because he did not say the statements were completely accurate.
"I never said that or even remotely implied that," Bartov said, adding that some errors were "inadvertent, not fraudulent."
Saying that he charged Trump his normal billing rate, he said: "No other expert found fraud... no expert rebutted my testimony."
In a rant spanning several Truth Social posts, Trump continued to suggest the court was against him for political reasons. He has repeatedly accused New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the $250 million suit against Trump and the Trump Organization, of a creating "witch hunt" against him.
During the trial, Bartov was involved in a heated exchange with state attorneys after counsel Kevin Wallace said Bartov's testimony was "pure speculation." Wallace also said Bartov was "hired to say whatever it is they want."
In response, Bartov said: "I'm here to tell the truth. You should be ashamed of yourself, talking to me like that."
Bartov has said some of the fees paid to him were from the Trump Organization, while others were from Trump's Save America PAC.
Michiel McCarty, chairman and CEO at the investment bank M.M. Dillon & Co, was paid around $350,000 for his testimony, according to ABC News. He was the state's only paid witness.