Former US president Donald Trump decided to speak in court despite being barred from giving a formal closing argument in his New York civil fraud trial.
The judge, Arthur Engoron, who had earlier denied Trump permission for a closing statement, allowed him to speak at the conclusion of the trial briefly before cutting him off.
Despite the judge's attempt to ensure Trump focused on trial-related matters, he defied the rules and launched a bitter attack on New York Attorney General Letitia James.
“We have a situation where I am an innocent man,” Trump protested on Thursday.
“I’m being persecuted by someone running for office and I think you have to go outside the bounds.
“They want to make sure I never win again. The [attorney general] hates Trump … and if I can’t talk about that, it’s a disservice.”
Despite the judge's attempts to intervene, Trump continued his remarks, accusing Judge Engoron of having a "personal agenda".
“You have your own agenda, you can’t listen for more than one minute," he said.
