Trump fraud judge cracks 'what's sauce for the goose...' joke in response to complaint about Michael Cohen's anti-Trump tweets
Alex Brandon/AP, left. Eduardo Munoz/Reuters, right.
- Michael Cohen canceled this week's Trump fraud trial testimony due to a brief illness.
- A Trump lawyer complained in court that sick or not, Cohen continues to attack Trump online.
- "Well, talk about sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander," the judge quipped in response.
The judge in Donald Trump's civil fraud trial had a "saucy" answer Monday when a defense lawyer complained about Michael Cohen continuing to post anti-Trump tweets despite calling out sick from this week's planned testimony.
"Well, talk about sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander," state Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron quipped, noting the bitter Cohen-Trump rivalry and prompting scattered laughter in his Manhattan courtroom.
"Well, we don't have a medical excuse," for Trump, defense attorney Christopher Kise responded, irritation in his voice. "He'll be here tomorrow," the defense lawyer added of Trump, who plans to attend the trial Tuesday.
The moment of levity broke midway through the afternoon, interrupting an excruciatingly precise, nearly cell-by-cell dissection of the Excel spreadsheets that underlie Trump's annual net-worth statements.
New York Attorney General Letitia James alleges that Trump exaggerated his bottom line by as much as $3.6 billion a year. Banks and insurers relied on these statements in cutting him hundreds of millions of dollars in interest cuts and other breaks for his New York-headquartered company, the Trump Organization.
Monday began with testimony implicating Trump by the former president's own assistant finance vice president. The testimony suggested that Trump directed his CFO, Allen Weisselberg, to make sure his net-worth rose each year.
Kise kicked off the afternoon goose-gander back-and-forth by complaining that Cohen calling out sick this week has resulted in a last-minute reshuffling of the witness schedule. Meanwhile, Trump was apparently eager to be face to face with a man he's called a liar online and in court papers.
"For whatever it's worth to the court," Kise complained of Cohen, "he does continue to be active on social media. I know you can still do that from a hospital bed."
Cohen has declined to detail his medical excuse, but Insider has confirmed that it did not involve a hospitalization.
"I am thankful the medical condition, while incredibly painful, does not require an immediate procedure," he told Insider. "I anticipate appearing as soon as the pain subsides. When I do testify, I am certain Donald will be in attendance, sitting with his lawyers at the defendant's table."
—Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) October 16, 2023
Cohen is expected to testify October 23rd at the earliest, the attorney general's side said.
Trump and his former attorney have been bitter enemies since 2019, when Cohen testified before Congress that the then-president widely exaggerated his net worth to impress banks, but downplayed his worth to save on real estate taxes.
On Sunday, Cohen responded with a profanity to a pro-Trump tweet by podcaster Drew Grimaldi.
"Your fuhrer is going to be held accountable for his dirty deeds," Cohen tweeted.