- Donald Trump is attending his NY civil fraud trial, now midway through its third week.
- On Wednesday morning, a woman tried to approach Trump from the audience during testimony.
A female court employee was arrested on a contempt of court charge on Wednesday after approaching Donald Trump from the audience of his civil fraud trial in New York and trying to speak to him during testimony.
The woman, whose court credentials were visible, stood about 20 feet from Trump's seat at the defense table, and could be heard asking a court officer if she could "help" the former president.
She did not interrupt the testimony, and Trump did not turn around or otherwise appear to notice her. She sat back down in the audience when told to by a court officer. Soon afterward, she was asked to leave the courtroom.
"Help me! Somebody help me," a witness could hear her shouting as she was led out of the courthouse in handcuffs.
Her departure was captured by Law360.
—Frank G. Runyeon (@frankrunyeon) October 18, 2023
A spokesman for the New York court system, Lucian Chalfen, later confirmed that the woman was a court employee.
"Earlier today at the People of the State of NY vs. Trump civil trial taking place at 60 Centre Street, an individual disrupted the proceedings by standing up and walking towards the front of the courtroom and yelling out to Mr. Trump indicating she wanted to assist him," Chalfen said.
"This individual was stopped by court officers before she got near Mr. Trump or any of the attorneys or other litigants. None of the parties were ever in any danger," he said. "The individual was safely escorted out of the courtroom and the courthouse by uniformed court officers and has been charged with Contempt of Court in the 2nd degree, i.e. disrupting a court proceeding."
Chalfen said the employee has been placed on immediate administrative leave while the incident is investigated, and is now prohibited from entering courthouses until further notice.
The court system did not release any other information about the employee.