In a further development of the criminal hush money trial against former U.S. President Donald Trump, New York prosecutors are seeking to impose additional fines for violating a gag order that prohibits discussing witnesses and jurors. On Thursday, prosecutors will present their request for fines amounting to $4,000 to the judge overseeing the case. This additional penalty would be in addition to the $9,000 fine imposed on Tuesday by Justice Juan Merchan, who held Trump in contempt of court for social media posts that criticized the jury selection process and insulted former lawyer Michael Cohen, a crucial prosecution witness. Merchan has indicated that he may consider jail time for Trump if he continues to disregard the gag order, as the current fines permitted under New York law ($1,000 per violation) may not be sufficient to deter the wealthy businessman-turned-politician. The gag order is intended to safeguard witnesses, jurors, and other participants in the trial from intimidation or improper influence. However, it does not restrict Trump from criticizing prosecutors or the judge himself. Trump contends that the gag order infringes upon his First Amendment rights and impedes his ability to defend against political attacks. He has repeated his allegation that prosecutors are conspiring with Democratic President Joe Biden to thwart his efforts to regain the presidency. Additionally, he has questioned Merchan’s impartiality, citing his daughter’s previous work for Democratic politicians. Trump is charged with falsifying business records to conceal a hush-money payment to pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election. Lawyer Keith Davidson testified on Tuesday that Daniels had sought to sell her story of a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump to media outlets while he was already facing damaging accusations of sexual misconduct. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies having an intimate relationship with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. Prior to the resumption of testimony on Thursday, Merchan will weigh whether Trump breached the gag order on four separate occasions last week. Prosecutors allege that Trump violated the order by referring to Cohen as a “liar” and former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, another witness, as a “nice guy” in statements to the media. They also maintain that Trump violated the order during a television interview by stating that “that jury was picked so fast – 95% Democrats. The area’s mostly all Democrat.” Apart from the hush money trial, Trump is facing three other criminal prosecutions. Two of these charges relate to his alleged attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat, while the third concerns the mishandling of classified documents after leaving office. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all three charges. His legal challenges have exacted a significant financial toll. Fundraising groups have diverted tens of millions of dollars from his presidential campaign to cover his legal expenses, and he has been compelled to post $266 million in bonds to contest two civil judgments that found him liable for business fraud and defamation. These legal entanglements continue to overshadow Trump’s political aspirations.
Trump Faces More Fines for Violating Gag Order in Hush Money Trial
