During the second day of Trump’s trial, a contempt hearing was held by Judge Juan Merchan, who sharply criticized Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, for his client’s repeated defiance of gag orders. Judge Merchan emphasized that Trump has blatantly violated these orders 10 times, despite being fully aware of their existence. He pointed out that Trump’s actions go beyond mere reposting, as he has altered and added to the comments of others, such as Fox News host Jesse Watter’s jury slander. Blanche’s weak defense that Trump was simply reposting and that “repost” was not explicitly stated in the gag orders was dismissed by the judge. Prosecutors have requested a $1,000 fine for each of the 10 violations, while former federal judges and attorneys have suggested that Judge Merchan could and should consider imposing a suspended prison sentence. This sentence could be served after the trial is concluded or during jury deliberations, or it could be avoided altogether if Trump fully complies with the gag orders for the remainder of the trial. The judge could also opt to incarcerate Trump for a brief period as a warning. It is important to note that any other defendant would likely have already been imprisoned for contempt. Judge Merchan is expected to issue a ruling on the contempt hearing on Wednesday. It is worth mentioning that the first gag orders in this case were actually issued by Trump himself, as well as Stormy Daniels and Karan McDougal, in the form of hush money payments intended to silence their stories about sexual encounters with Trump that could have influenced the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. However, Trump has demonstrated an inability to adhere to his own gag orders when it comes to Lady Justice.
Trump’s Contempt Hearing: Attorney Rebuked for Trump’s Defiance of Gag Orders
