On Tuesday, former President Donald Trump was held in contempt of court and fined $9,000 for violating his gag order multiple times in his “hush money” case regarding his alleged business document falsification to hide payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels. The judge also threatened him with jail time if he violates it again.
Prosecutors claim Trump made 10 violations, but New York Judge Juan M. Merchan said there were nine. Merchan said he is “keenly aware of, and protective of” Trump’s First Amendment rights, “particularly given his candidacy for the office of President of the United States.”
"Show me your cards" – Trump's Legal team goes on the OFFENSIVE against biased NYC Judge.@patrickbetdavid @TomEllsworth @VincentOshana @sostalksmoney pic.twitter.com/qcE0Hvb8SD
— PBD Podcast (@PBDsPodcast) April 30, 2024
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“It is critically important that defendant’s legitimate free speech rights not be curtailed, that he be able to fully campaign for the office which he seeks and that he be able to respond and defend himself against political attacks,” Merchan said.
But he nevertheless warned the court would not allow “willful violations of its lawful orders and that if necessary and appropriate under the circumstances, it will impose an incarceratory punishment.” Trump has gotten just a bit closer to being the first former US President to serve jail time.
Trump was fined $9,000, or $1,000 for each of his violations, and was also told to delete the Truth Social posts in question that violated the court’s rules. Trump had “violated the Order by making social media posts about known witnesses pertaining to their participation in this criminal proceeding and by making public statements about jurors in this criminal proceeding.”
Trump has, however, been permitted to attend the high school graduation ceremony for his son Barron in Florida next month. Missing the ceremony was a point that Trump repeatedly raised outside of the court, leading to his gag order fine. “I don’t think the May 17 date is a problem,” Judge Merchan said about the graduation from a private school near Mar-a-Lago.
Shane Devine is a writer covering politics and business for VT and a regular guest on The Unusual Suspects. Follow Shane’s work here.
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