New York Judge Orders Donald Trump Take Witness Stand, Fines Him $10,000 Citing Gag Order Violation 697 Trump Fraud LawsuitLuiz C. Ribeiro/Pool Photo via AP NICK GILBERTSON25 Oct 20231,254 2:27 New York County Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron ordered former President Donald Trump to take the witness stand on Wednesday for questioning about an alleged gag order violation, which resulted in a $10,000 fine for the 45th president.

As CNBC noted, Engoron asked Trump who he was referencing when he spoke of a “very partisan judge with a person who’s very partisan sitting alongside him, perhaps even much more partisan than he is.”

Engoron, who is judging the non-jury civil case brought against Trump and his two eldest sons by New York Attorney General Letitia James, reportedly suspected he was referring to Clerk Allison Greenfield.

New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a news conference in New York on July 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

Trump said he was talking about his former attorney, Michael Cohen, who is testifying against him in the case, as well as Engoron.

“Are you sure that you didn’t mean the person on the other side, my principal law clerk?” Engoron asked, the Hill reported.

“Yes, I’m sure,” the 45th president responded. However, Engoron did not believe Trump and fined him $10,000 after he returned to his seat, remarking the punishment was “on the liberal side.”

This follows a $5,000 fine Engoron imposed Friday after finding Trump in violation of his gag order.

“Make no mistake: future violations, whether intentional or unintentional, will subject the violator to far more severe sanctions,” Engoron said in a court filing at the time, as the Associated Press (AP) noted.

Judge Arthur Engoron poses for a picture in his courtroom in New York on September 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

“(These) may include, but are not limited to, steeper financial penalties, holding Donald Trump in contempt of court, and possibly imprisoning him pursuant to New York Judiciary Law,” the judge wrote.

Trump, who has called Engoron a “Democrat operative” who should be “disbarred,” had criticized Greenfield on social media, leading to Engoron placing a gag order on him on October 3, according to the AP.

James, a Democrat, brought the $250 million lawsuit against the leading Republican presidential candidate alleging he and his sons “engaged in numerous acts of fraud and misrepresentation” by overvaluing at least 23 commercial properties for at least one decade,” as Breitbart News noted.