MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: A New York state court employee, whom cops identified as Jenny Hannigan, has been facing criminal charges after trying to approach President Donald Trump, claiming she wanted to help him in his ongoing civil fraud trial.
Thirty-seven-year-old Hanningan was arrested on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, and was later charged with contempt of court for disrupting the proceedings in Manhattan Supreme Court “by standing up and walking towards the front of the courtroom yelling out to Mr Trump.”
The courthouse sources told the New York Post that Hannigan, who resides in Baldwin, serves as a secretary for a judge in Queens. Following her arrest, it also came to light that the court employee is no stranger to run-ins with law enforcement.
Jenny Hannigan’s previous run-ins with law enforcement
She was previously taken into custody in 2015 following an outburst at a Brooklyn gas station, according to the New York Post. At that time, she allegedly damaged a credit card machine and was charged with resisting arrest.
Two years earlier, Hannigan filed a federal lawsuit against Nassau County police, alleging that during a DUI arrest in 2011, she was raped in the back of a police vehicle.
In her complaint, she stated that after being placed in the back of the vehicle, Officer Gary Zima "place[d] his hands and fingers inside of and around [her] vagina and vaginal area."
After an internal inquiry, the assault accusation was deemed "undetermined," but three days after the arrest, Zima was charged with breaking policy for texting Hannigan and asking "how she was doing.”
Court records show that Hannigan settled with Nassau County and police for an undisclosed sum in February 2016.
Why did Jenny Hannigan try to approach Donald Trump?
Hanningan was arrested after being stopped by court officers when she attempted to approach Trump, 77, and his lawyers, who were seated at the defense table, Office of Court Administration spokesman Lucian Chalfen said in a statement.
“None of the parties were ever in any danger,” he said. Around 11:45 am, Hannigan was initially asked to take a seat in the courtroom's gallery before an officer asked to speak with her outside the room.
Speaking loudly and expressing fear, she then entered the media-packed hallway just as a number of officers surrounded her and asked her to quiet down.
After escorting Hannigan downstairs to the first floor, officers cuffed her as she yelled “help me!” and “save me!” for several minutes, according to a courthouse source.
Outside the courtroom, Hannigan also voiced her support for Trump. “I have a right to be here. I’m an American citizen and I’m also a court employee. And I’m also just here to support Donald Trump,” she told court officers, NBC News video shows.
Hannigan was then handed a desk appearance ticket and charged with one count of second-degree contempt of court for interfering with the proceedings.
Chalfen further stated that as the investigation into the event continues, the court employee has been put on administrative leave and prohibited from entering state court premises.
Following his departure from the court at around 3:30 pm, Trump was questioned about the incident but he denied knowing anything about the arrest or the disturbance the woman had caused.
“Who got arrested? We didn’t know anything about it,” the former President told reporters.
