(Photo
by
Brendan
McDermid-Pool/Getty
Images)
Judge
Arthur
Engoron
heard
the
business
fraud
case
involving
Donald
Trump
and
his
businesses.
Engoron
ultimately
imposed
a
$450
million
judgment
against
the
defendants.
During
that
trial,
Trump
had
repeatedly
disparaged
court
personnel,
including
the
judge’s
law
clerk.
After
the
judge
entered
a
gag
order
to
protect
the
courtroom
staff,
Trump
went
outside
the
courtroom
and
told
reporters
that
“a
person
who’s
very
partisan
[is]
sitting
alongside”
the
judge.
This
appeared
to
again
disparage
the
judge’s
clerk
and
thus
to
violate
the
gag
order.
Judge
Engoron
had
Trump
take
the
witness
stand.
Trump
testified
that
he
had
not
in
fact
been
referring
to
the
judge’s
clerk
as
being
a
partisan,
but
rather
was
referring
to
Michael
Cohen,
Trump’s
former
lawyer,
who
had
been
on
the
witness
stand
at
the
time.
This
was
obviously
a
lie,
and
the
judge
ultimately
so
ruled:
“The
idea
that
the
statement
would
refer
to
the
witness
doesn’t
make
any
sense
to
me.”
According
to
the
judge,
Trump’s
testimony,
under
oath,
was
“not
credible.”
Lying
under
oath.
That’s
not
good.
In
the
1990s,
Republicans
wanted
to
impeach
President
Bill
Clinton
for
lying
under
oath.
But
I
digress.
In
the
days
leading
up
to
January
6,
2021,
President
Trump
urged
his
supporters
to
come
to
Washington,
D.C.,
telling
them
that
the
day
would
be
“wild.”
Trump
gave
a
speech
on
the
sixth,
and
the
assembled
crowd
attacked
the
Capitol
Building.
Whether
or
not
you
agree
that
Trump
instigated
the
riot,
he
indisputably
remained
silent
for
three
hours
while
a
mob
attacked
Congress.
Whether
Trump
thought
the
crowd
consisted
of
members
of
Antifa,
or
FBI
informants,
or
simply
peaceful
protestors,
Trump
did
not
lift
a
finger
or
say
a
word
to
defend
the
Capitol
Building.
A
simple
statement
would
have
sufficed.
Perhaps:
“If
you
by
any
chance
are
my
supporters,
please
understand
that
I
didn’t
mean
this
at
all.
You
misunderstood
me.
I
didn’t
mean
that
you
should
ransack
the
Capitol
Building.
Please
go
home.”
But
no.
Trump
is
not
one
to
protect
the
United
States
to
the
best
of
his
ability.
Nor,
as
Judge
Engoron
held,
is
Trump
one
to
tell
the
truth,
even
when
under
oath.
On
Monday
at
noon,
Donald
J.
Trump
will
put
his
hand
on
a
bible
and
repeat
under
oath
the
words
set
forth
in
Article
II,
Section
One,
Clause
8
of
the
Constitution:
I
do
solemnly
swear
(or
affirm)
that
I
will
faithfully
execute
the
Office
of
President
of
the
United
States,
and
will
to
the
best
of
my
ability,
preserve,
protect
and
defend
the
Constitution
of
the
United
States.
That
doesn’t
give
me
a
whole
lot
of
comfort.
How
about
you?
Mark Herrmann spent
17
years
as
a
partner
at
a
leading
international
law
firm
and
later
oversaw
litigation,
compliance
and
employment
matters
at
a
large
international
company.
He
is
the
author
of The
Curmudgeon’s
Guide
to
Practicing
Law and Drug
and
Device
Product
Liability
Litigation
Strategy (affiliate
links).
You
can
reach
him
by
email
at [email protected].