Bomb Threat Targets Trump Civil Trial Judge Ahead Of Closing Arguments

NEW YORK CITY — A bomb threat targeting the judge in Donald Trump's fraud trial won't derail closing arguments Thursday.

Cops responded to a threat and "swatting incident" at Judge Arthur Engoron's home in Great Neck about 5:30 a.m., just hours before the high-profile trial's final day was set to begin. They found the threat to be unfounded, officials said.

The threat came after Engoron shot down an unusual request by Trump that would have seen the former president give his own closing arguments. Trump has repeatedly lambasted Engoron over the trial's course, including this week on Truth Social.

"Litigation before Judge Engoron is a Sham and Disgrace!" Trump posted Tuesday.

Engoron, before the trial started, found Trump liable for fraudulently overstating his wealth. The trial's verdict will cover what penalties Trump will face.

Trump also posted Thursday morning that he's headed to the courtroom for closing arguments in a case in which state Attorney General Letitia James seeks $370 million in fines and a ban on Trump doing business in New York.

"Trump used his falsely inflated net worth to obtain a host of benefits," James tweeted before closing arguments.

"More favorable loans and insurance coverage that saved him hundreds of millions of dollars. Obtaining these loans at discounted rates was absolutely critical to the Trump Organization staying afloat."

Trump and his team intentionally misrepresented the value of his assets.

Mar-a-Lago:
⛔️Trump’s value: $739 million
✅Appraised value: $25 million

And knowingly lied about the size of his apartment in NYC to inflate its value:
⛔️Trump’s size: 30,000 sqft
✅True size: 10,966 sqft
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) January 11, 2024

The Associated Press contributed to this report.