Trump Fined $9,000 for Violating Gag Order
Former President Donald Trump has been found guilty of violating a gag order at least nine times in the NY v. Trump case in Manhattan. Judge Juan Merchan imposed the fines on Tuesday, finding that Trump had violated the order, which bans him from speaking publicly about witnesses and family members of court officials. The judge said that if Trump continues to violate the order, he could face “incarceratory punishment” if “necessary and appropriate.”
Trump’s attorneys have argued that the gag order is a violation of the former president’s First Amendment rights. However, District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his office have alleged that Trump violated the order at least 14 times.
The gag order was imposed on Trump in the lead-up to the trial last month. During a hearing on the gag order last week, Merchan argued that the Trump team was “losing all credibility” while defending Trump’s comments on social media that violated the order.
“I’ve asked you eight or nine times, ‘Show me the exact post that he was responding to,’ and you haven’t been able to do that once,” Merchan told the Trump team last week.
The defense team argued that Trump was responding to attacks when he made comments that allegedly violated the order. However, Merchan pressed Trump attorney Todd Blanche to provide instances that showed Trump was responding to a specific incident.
“I have to tell you right now, you’re losing all credibility in the court,” Merchan told Blanche last Tuesday.
Trump has criticized the case as a “scam” promoted by the Biden administration and has argued that the gag order has prevented him from defending himself. However, prosecutors have said that Trump has been given ample opportunity to defend himself and that the gag order is necessary to ensure a fair trial.
