(NEW YORK) — A court employee was arrested Wednesday after she tried to approach former President Donald Trump while he was seated in the courtroom during his civil trial in lower Manhattan.
As the trial was taking place, the woman “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,” according to a spokesman for the New York State Unified Court System.
The woman was stopped by court officers before she got near Trump or any of the attorneys or other litigants.
None of the parties were ever in any danger, the spokesman said.
She was escorted out of the courtroom and the courthouse by uniformed court officers and has been charged with second-degree contempt of court, which is akin to disrupting a court proceeding.
The woman, a court employee, has been placed on immediate administrative leave and prohibited from entering any court building.
She was wearing professional dress and asked a reporter to hold open the door as she scampered down the stairs, chased by two court officers who later apprehended her and placed her into custody.
Trump is on trial in New York in a $250 million lawsuit that could alter his personal fortune and real estate empire. Trump, his sons Eric and Don Jr., and Trump Organization executives are accused by New York Attorney General Letitia James of inflating Trump’s net worth in order get more favorable loan terms.
Trump returned to court on Tuesday, and returned Wednesday, after not appearing in court several days last week. He is not required to attend.
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