NY Mag writer Olivia Nuzzi was booted from Trump’s hush money trial for 'violating' important court rule

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: New York Magazine writer Olivia Nuzzi was banned from former president Donald Trump’s hush-money criminal trial for taking photos against court rules, the New York Post reported.

She reported on the trial after her ban on April 22, without informing readers that she was removed from the 15th floor of the Manhattan criminal courthouse where the trial took place. 

Olivia Nuzzi was booted from Donald Trump’s hush-money trial

Court officials booted Olivia Nuzzi after guards caught her clicking a photo for the second time, in an adjacent room where reporters and some public attendees watched the trial on a monitor, according to the media outlet.

Nuzzi took a picture of her brightly colored purse on the drab floor during the first incident, a source familiar with the incident told the New York Post.

Officials warned her that photography in the room was strictly prohibited but she still tried clicking pictures. A fellow reporter said, "She was treated with deference originally, but continued taking photos despite the fact she was instructed and told not to."

Another reporter, who asked to remain anonymous, said that during the second incident, she took out her phone to click a picture because she liked his shirt, which had the image of a dog on it, and guards "pounced" on her for the violation.

The reporter said, "She was not taking photos of the court proceedings. Enthusiastically in the moment, she snapped a photo of my shirt. She did not intentionally violate the rules."

Olivia Nuzzi placed on leave amid 'third-party review'

Olivia Nuzzi has been placed on leave while a 'third-party review' is conducted after the New York Magazine said she disclosed that she "had engaged in a personal relationship with a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign while she was reporting on the campaign," CNN reported.

However, the magazine did not identify the subject, but a person with direct knowledge of the matter told CNN that the relationship was with Robert F Kennedy Jr, who ran for president as an independent candidate.

"Mr Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece," a Kennedy spokesperson told CNN.

Nuzzi said in a statement to CNN that her relationship with a reporting subject had "turned personal" and that she regretted not disclosing it to the publication.

She said, "Earlier this year, the nature of some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal. During that time, I did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source."

She added, "The relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict. I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I’ve disappointed, especially my colleagues at New York."

Olivia Nuzzi's relationship was 'violation' of the magazine’s standards

Olivia Nuzzi's recently acknowledged relationship with a reporting subject was a "violation of the magazine’s standards around conflicts of interest and disclosures," according to the New York Magazine.

The statement added, "Had the magazine been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign. An internal review of her published work has found no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias. We regret this violation of our readers' trust."

New York Magazine editor David Haskell said in a note to staff on Friday, September 20, that editors came to know of Nuzzi’s relationship with Kennedy "a few days ago" and were told it started in December 2023, after her profile of Kennedy was published, and ended in August 2024.