A New York state judge and his law clerk have been subjected to a barrage of death threats and antisemitic attacks following former President Donald Trump’s targeted social media campaign against them. The harassment has been so severe that it has prompted calls for stricter gag orders against Trump and his attorneys.
According to a court affidavit, Judge Arthur Engoron and his law clerk, Allison Greenfield, have faced a “deluge” of threatening, harassing, and antisemitic messages across their phone lines, personal emails, and social media accounts. These messages stem directly from Trump’s public attacks on Engoron and Greenfield, who are involved in the ongoing civil fraud case against the former president.
On October 3, Trump posted an image of Greenfield on Truth Social, his social media platform, and baselessly accused her of being Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s girlfriend. He further called for the case against him to be dismissed, insinuating that Greenfield’s personal connection to Schumer could compromise the impartiality of the proceedings.
Engoron responded by imposing a narrowly tailored gag order prohibiting Trump from making public statements about his staff. The order was later expanded to include Trump’s attorneys. However, despite the gag order, Greenfield continued to receive a torrent of online abuse from Trump’s supporters.
Threats sent to the voicemail of Judge Arthur Engoron, according to an affidavit filed by Charles Hollon, a Court Officer-Captain in the NY Department of Public Safety. pic.twitter.com/b9T90WfXBo
— nikki mccann ramírez (@NikkiMcR) November 22, 2023
Related articles
Court documents reveal that Greenfield’s personal information, including her cell phone number and email addresses, has been compromised, leading to daily “doxing” attacks. She has been subjected to a relentless stream of harassing, disparaging, and antisemitic comments.
Greenfield testified that she receives approximately 20-30 threatening phone calls per day and 30-50 harassing messages per day across social media, LinkedIn, and her personal email accounts.
Court officer-captain Charles Hollon has reviewed some of the voicemails left for Engoron and found them to be “serious and credible threats” that are not “hypothetical or speculative.” He included examples of these voicemails in his affidavit, with the censored slurs replaced by asterisks.
One voicemail calls Engoron a “little fagot dork” and wishes death upon him and his family. It also includes antisemitic slurs targeting Engoron and Greenfield, referring to them as “filthy little Jews.”
Another voicemail threatens Engoron and his staff, calling them “dirty, backstabbing, lying, cheating Americans” and “commies.” The voicemail threatens to “remove” them “permanently.”
Hollon concluded that the ongoing harassment has created a significant security risk for Engoron, Greenfield, and their families. He noted that the implementation of the gag order initially reduced the number of threats, but Trump’s violation of the order led to a resurgence of the harassment.
The escalating threats against Engoron and Greenfield highlight the dangers of Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric and his disregard for the rule of law. His attacks on the judiciary have emboldened his supporters to engage in intimidation and violence, undermining the integrity of the legal system.
The court’s decision to impose gag orders against Trump and his attorneys is a necessary step to protect judicial officials and ensure the fair administration of justice. However, it is also a disturbing reminder of the extent to which Trump’s influence has poisoned the political climate and eroded public trust in institutions.
Discussion about this post