An employee of the New York State Court was detained on Wednesday after she attempted to speak with former President Donald Trump during his continuing civil fraud trial in Lower Manhattan.
Police identified the woman as Jenny Hannigan and charged her with contempt of court for upsetting the court’s business just before noon in Manhattan Supreme Court “by standing up and walking towards the front of the courtroom yelling out to Mr. Trump,” according to Office of Court Administration spokesman Lucian Chalfen.
A courtroom source said that Hannigan, 37, of Baldwin, New York, works as a secretary for a judge in Queens. The woman, who was wearing business attire, entered the corridor filled with reporters while being encircled by police who asked her to lower her voice.
She later came close to Trump, 77, and his attorneys, who were seated at the defense table, but was prevented by court guards, according to a statement from Chalfen. She called out that she wanted to help the former president.
As a result of the event, she has been put on administrative leave and is not permitted to enter state courthouses, according to Chalfen.
Tuesday and Wednesday saw Trump in the courtroom for the third week of his trial, where he is accused of misrepresenting the value of assets on financial records for his own benefit.
It’s anticipated that the trial will go on until mid-December. The former president is expected to testify at some point during the trial.
