A viral post shared on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, claims Arthur Engoron, the New York judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s civil fraud case, purportedly drank from a Tanqueray gin bottle during a recent hearing.

Opening statements took a turn this morning after a video appeared online last week garnering over 1 million views showing Justice Engoron drinking from a Tanqueray gin bottle during a hearing.

Trump’s attorneys began today’s civil fraud trial by asking Justice Engoron:… pic.twitter.com/5cJFcFZmzO

— Judicial Protest (@JudicialProtest) October 2, 2023

Verdict: False

There is no evidence supporting the claim. A video from Forbes that has been uploaded to YouTube shows the bottle in question is Mountain Valley Spring Water, not Tanqueray gin.

Fact Check:

Trump appeared in court this week in relation to a civil lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James that accuses him of financial fraud by inflating his net worth on financial records, according to Axios. The trial, which is in its third day, is expected to last until December, CNN reported.

“Opening statements took a turn this morning after a video appeared online last week garnering over 1 million views showing Justice Engoron drinking from a Tanqueray gin bottle during a hearing,” the X post, viewed over 400,000 times, purports. The post further claims Trump’s attorneys asked Engoron what was in the bottle. The claim follows a previous X post purporting to show a video of Engoron drinking from a “40 oz” during a contempt hearing.

The claim is false, however. A video from Forbes that has been uploaded to YouTube shows the bottle in question is Mountain Valley Spring Water, not Tanqueray gin. The green bottle, which features a round red label, matches that of the logo for Mountain Valley Spring Water on Wikipedia. Tanqueray gin, which is also sold in a green bottle, bears a white label, according to Google Images.

Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports suggesting Engoron had been drinking Tanqueray gin during a recent hearing. In addition, neither Trump nor his attorney, Alina Habba, have publicly addressed the purported claim. (RELATED: Is Donald Trump Unable To Purchase Firearms Due To His Felony Indictments?)

Check Your Fact has contacted the New York Unified Court System and Habba’s law practice, Habba Madaio and Associates, for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.