When Boris Epshteyn, a controversial advisor to Trump, tried to speak at the former president’s defamation trial on Tuesday. Judge Lewis Kaplan quickly shut him down.
The Attempt
When Epshteyn attempted to pipe up, Kaplan asked if he was “a member of the bar of this court.” “I’m a member of the New York State Bar,” Epshteyn replied. “Alright,” Kaplan responded, “then please have a seat.”
No Place for Speeches
Trump’s defamation trial is held in New York federal court, not state court. Thus, while Epshteyn may be a member of the New York state bar, he was not a member of the bar of the court in this instance.
Inside Source
The interaction was posted on X by POLITICO reporter Erica Orden. She attended the trial.
The Web Reacts
“Ouch,” one user responded. “I like this judge. No silliness in his courtroom.”
No Funny Business
“That’s brutal!” another user wrote. “I think I would audibly chuckle in court if this happened while I was there.”
Some Funny Business
“What was he doing trying to speak?” one user asked. “He appears to be licensed (if what he said today is true), but he is never referenced as a lawyer,” another user wrote, “only as an ‘advisor.’ If he wants to be a lawyer, he’ll need to enter his appearance (and be admitted in federal court).”
Not Popular
In July, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, laughed out loud when asked if he thought Epshteyn had taken over Cohen’s role as Trump’s counsel. “Good luck,” Cohen said, “because Boris is a moron.”
Dubious Intelligence
“Boris, as I like to refer to him and others, was like the little lapdog that was trying to figure out how to get close to Donald’s leg,” Cohen continued. “Now that he’s there, he has no real experience.”
Continuing the Assault
“I mean, he may be a lawyer,” Cohen conceded. “I don’t know if I would even consider him smart — and one thing he’s not is strategic. Because everything that’s happened to Donald throughout, we’ll call it ‘Boris’ brain,’ has not [been] to Donald’s benefit, not one iota.”
Further Insults
In September, Rolling Stone reported that the person “internally viewed as Trump’s single most competent attorney” had left the former president’s legal team. Drew Findling, the lawyer in question, is known as the “Billion Dollar Lawyer.”
Internal Struggles
According to inside sources who spoke to Rolling Stone, Findling’s departure was part of the “power struggles that have long plagued Trump’s legal teams, even (or, especially) during times when Trump is trying his hardest to stay out of prison.”
Person Responsible
Rolling Stone reported that Epshteyn was “responsible for several” of Trump’s lawyers “leaving and being sidelined.” More internal sources told POLITICO in 2022 that Epshteyn was “feeding the ex-president’s worst political instincts, among them to vociferously challenge the results of the 2020 election.”
More Criticism
“I don’t know where [Epshteyn] filed his law license,” one source close to Trump’s legal team told POLITICO. “They must be selling them at 7-11. I don’t think it serves the president well to be taking legal advice from Boris and hopefully, he will see that sometime soon.”
Continued Presence
Trump has clearly not seen that yet. The trial in question is writer E. Jean Carroll’s second defamation trial against the former president. In May, she won her first defamation lawsuit against Trump and was awarded $5 million in damages.
Where the Apple Falls
As well as silencing Epshteyn, Judge Kaplan also threatened to kick Trump out of the trial altogether. “Mr. Trump has the right to be present here. That right can be forfeited, and it can be forfeited if he is disruptive, which is what has been reported to me,” Kaplan said.
Political Theatre
“I understand you are probably very eager for me to do that,” Kaplan said to Trump, who responded by saying, “I would love it.” “I know you would because you can’t control yourself in this circumstance,” Kaplan replied.
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