Former President Donald Trump was fined $9,000 on Tuesday for violations of a gag order related to his ongoing hush money case involving adult film star Stormy Daniels. New York Judge Juan Merchan held Trump in contempt after determining that he violated the gag order in nine instances through posts on his social media platform Truth Social and his campaign website. Trump stared down at the table in front of him as the judge read the ruling, frowning slightly.
The contempt finding comes amid a high-profile trial in which Trump faces 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying business records connected to a $130,000 payment to Daniels just before the 2016 election, which prosecutors say was intended to prevent her from going public with claims of an affair with Trump. The former president has pleaded not guilty and has consistently denied both the charges and the affair.
Shortly after deleting the gag order-violating Truth Social posts on Tuesday, Trump accused Merchan of unfairly stripping him of his “constitutional right to free speech” and suggested that the judge was attempting to help President Joe Biden in November’s presidential election. Judge Merchan warned that further infractions could result in jail time.
The judge’s ruling, which cited social media posts that attacked key witnesses like Michael Cohen and jurors. Trump deleted, as ordered, the offending posts from his Truth Social account and campaign website and has until Friday to pay the fine. Despite the fine, which may seem inconsequential to Trump’s wealth, Judge Merchan raised the possibility of incarceration.
The judge was also weighing other alleged gag-order violations by Trump and will hear arguments Thursday. He also announced that he will halt the trial on May 17 to allow Trump to attend his son Barron’s high school graduation.
The gag order, imposed by Judge Merchan to maintain the integrity of the legal proceedings, prohibits public statements about “known or reasonably foreseeable witnesses concerning their potential participation” or “public statements about any prospective juror or any juror.”
Relevant articles:
– Donald Trump slams Judge Merchan hours after $9,000 fine, newsweek.com, 05/01/2024
– Trump hush money trial: Trump held in contempt of court for gag order violation, The Associated Press, 04/30/2024
– Donald Trump fined $9,000 for violating gag order in hush money case, CNN, 04/30/2024
– Trump held in contempt for violating gag order in “hush money” trial. Here’s how much he owes., CBS News, 04/30/2024
– Trump trial live updates: Trump hit with contempt, witnesses detail Stormy Daniels deal, ABC News, 04/30/2024