Trump Defense Witness Answers Phone Call While On Stand
Things got awkward for Palm Beach realtor Lawrence Moens on Tuesday while he was testifying on behalf of Donald Trump at the former president’s New York civil fraud trial.
Moens was in the middle of his testimony when his phone suddenly rang while he was on the witness stand, according to reporters.
“Dad, I love you, but I’ve got to get off the phone,” Lawrence Moens said after answering his phone in the witness box of Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial, according to Law360 reporter Stewart Bishop.
Moens explained to his dad that he couldn’t take his call because he was testifying for Trump, but promised, “I’ll call you right back,” per Law360’s Frank G. Runyeon.
Reporters covering the trial were shocked by the inopportune phone call. However, Judge Arthur Engoron reportedly accepted Moens’ apology for the intrusion.
Me and a couple other reporters are beside ourselves when Moens’ phone rings and he answers on the witness stand.
“Dad I love you but I’ve got to get off the phone,” Moens says.
That would be a cardinal sin in many courtrooms. Justice Engoron brushes it off.— Stewart Bishop (@stewartbishop) December 5, 2023
Wow. Trump witness Lawrence Moens' cell phone rings as he is testifying. Moens *answers* his cell phone on the stand.
"I’ll call you right back," Moens tells the caller, adding that he's testifying for Donald Trump.
"Sorry about that. I did turn that off," he says. https://t.co/sGF5CQGZ3y— Frank G. Runyeon (@frankrunyeon) December 5, 2023
Moens was called by Trump’s attorneys to be an expert witness about the value of the former president’s real estate holdings and reportedly told the courtroom, “I worked very hard to sell rich people properties in Palm Beach.”
However, Moens ― who previously testified that Tesla CEO Elon Musk might pay as much as $1 billion for Mar-a-Lago ― had Tuesday’s testimony limited to residential property in Palm Beach, according to RawStory.
