Bomb threat at Judge Arthur Engoron's home believed to be intended to delay closing argument: report

Police rushed to New York Judge Arthur Engoron’s home after a bomb threat on Thursday — hours before closing arguments in former President Donald Trump’s fraud trial were set to begin.

More than a half-dozen police cars and a bomb squad rushed to Engoron’s home on Long Island Thursday morning, according to The Daily Beast. The move was “perceived as a blatant attempt to delay the trial’s closing arguments,” the outlet added, citing a person briefed on the matter.

A spokesperson for the Nassau County Police Department told the outlet that there is an “active investigation” but did not provide any further details.

It’s not clear whether the threat would delay Thursday’s proceedings, The New York Times reported.

The threat came after Trump, who has repeatedly attacked Engoron and his principal law clerk Allison Greenfield, lashed out at the judge ahead of Thursday’s hearing, accusing him on Truth Social of “working closely together” with New York Attorney General Letitia James to “screw me.”

Trump’s complaints came after emails released by the court showed that Engoron rejected Trump’s plan to give his own closing argument after he balked at the judge’s preconditions. The judge initially approved the plan but reversed course after Trump’s lawyers objected to his insistence that the former president stick to “relevant” matters and “not deliver a campaign speech.”

Emails show Trump’s attorney Chris Kise complained that the restrictions were “very unfair” and “fraught with ambiguities, creating the substantial likelihood for misinterpretation or unintended violation.”

“You are not allowing President Trump, who has been wrongfully demeaned and belittled by an out of control, politically motivated attorney general, to speak about the things that must be spoken about,” the attorney wrote.

“I won’t debate this yet again. Take it or leave it,” Engoron replied in all-caps.

Trump shared the email on Truth Social, calling it “MEAN & NASTY.”

The bomb threat at Engoron’s home came just days after U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing Trump’s D.C. election subversion case, was the victim of an apparent “swatting” call after someone called police to falsely report that “multiple people were shot” at her home.

“As long as the GOP continues to pander to Trump we remain on this path of domestic terror, heading into political violence,” warned former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance. “Every reporter who talks to Trump must ask & insist on an answer to whether he condemns this & same for every Republican who doesn't voluntarily speak out.”

Former Manhattan prosecutor Karen Agnifilo called on Trump to “please tell” his supporters to “stop the violence.”

“Enough is enough,” she tweeted.

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Trump is expected to attend Thursday’s closing arguments despite being barred from speaking. James’ team is expected to highlight evidence from the trial, including internal emails and testimony from former employees. James is seeking a $370 million fine against Trump and his companies, a lifetime ban on Trump and two of his former executives from the real estate industry, and five-year bans on Trump sons Donald Jr. and Eric.

Engoron issued a summary judgment before the trial began, holding Trump, his company and former executives liable for persistent fraud.

Trump’s lawyers plan to argue that James failed to show that Trump orchestrated fraud in his annual financial statements and that the statements themselves were irrelevant, according to The Times.

“No bank or underwriter was, or would have been, materially misled by the alleged misstatements,” Trump’s lawyers argued in a brief.