Trump has repeatedly shared posts on Truth Social that claim a man sitting at his civil trial is the son of Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, who is handling the case, and that he is somehow financially benefiting from the prime spot.
But those claims fell apart Tuesday when the real-life man outed himself as Ben Kochman, a New York Post reporter covering the case. He penned an op-ed lambasting the posts for the newspaper, outlining how he first discovered he’d been embroiled in a Trump-fueled conspiracy and why he finally decided to speak up.
Trump recently posted a picture with a red arrow pointing at Kochman, as well as an article written by anti-Muslim activist Laura Loomer which falsely claimed that it was Engoron’s son, who was “financially benefitting” with his “prominent” seat.
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Though Kochman was tipped off about the first post in November, he wrote in his editorial that he initially “felt it wasn’t worth giving any air.”
But when Trump shared the post a second time and it garnered more attention—disgraced former Rep. George Santos even commented on it—Kochman decided it was time to speak up.
Santos responded to Loomer’s story with a fire emoji and asked the House Oversight Committee to “investigate further” in an attempt to root out “misconduct.”
“As for The Donald,” Kochman wrote in his op-ed, “it’s unclear if he knows who I am. But hopefully he’ll soon know who I’m not.”
It’s not the first time Trump has picked on someone in the courtroom with false statements—he was widely criticized earlier this year and subjected to a gag order after dragging Engoron’s law clerk through the mud, posting at one point that she was New York Sen. Chuck Schumer’s “girlfriend” while his lawyers attempted to decry her alleged influence over the case.
Kochman said he plans to be at the Jan. 11 closing statements for the fraud trial “beard and all,” and joked, “maybe I’ll keep them guessing with a mustache.”
