Judge Finds Trump Violated Gag Order Again, Threatens Jail
A New York judge on Monday found Donald Trump violated the gag order in his hush-money trial for a tenth time and threatened to jail the former president if he continued to do so.
The ruling comes in response to prosecutors’ allegations that Trump violated the gag order four times, including in the courthouse hallway. The judge found that Trump had done so in one of the four instances—when he claimed the jury was mostly Democrats and that it was picked too quickly.
“Going forward, this court will have to consider a jail sanction,” Justice Juan Merchan said in court. The judge said the last thing he wanted to do was jail a former and possibly next president, but that the violations were a direct attack on the rule of law.
The gag order bars Trump from attacking potential witnesses and jurors, in addition to prosecutors, court staffers and their families.
However, Trump is allowed to attack Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat who brought the case, and the judge. The former president has continued to do so on social media.
Merchan last month fined Trump $9,000 for violating the order nine times and threatened to jail him for future violations if appropriate. Trump paid the fines to a court clerk earlier this month. Prosecutors made their allegations about the new violations before the judge’s first order.
Write to Corinne Ramey at [email protected] and James Fanelli at [email protected]