Judge raises threat of jail as he holds Trump in contempt, fines him $9,000 at hush money trial [View all]
Last edited Tue Apr 30, 2024, 04:27 PM - Edit history (2)
Source: AP
Updated 3:02 PM EDT, April 30, 2024
NEW YORK (AP) -- Donald Trump was held in contempt of court Tuesday and fined $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case. And if he does it again, the judge warned, he could be jailed.
Prosecutors had alleged 10 violations, but New York Judge Juan M. Merchan found there were nine. Trump stared down at the table in front of him as the judge read the ruling, frowning slightly.
It was a stinging rebuke of the Republican former president's insistence that he was exercising his free speech rights and a reminder that he's a criminal defendant subject to the harsh realities of trial procedure. And the judge's remarkable threat to jail a former president signaled that Trump's already precarious legal standing could further spiral depending on his behavior during the remainder of the trial.
Trump did not respond to reporters' shouted inquiries about the fine in the courthouse hallway as court resumed for the afternoon. Merchan wrote that he is "keenly aware of, and protective of," Trump's First Amendment rights, "particularly given his candidacy for the office of President of the United States."
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/trump-stormy-daniels-hush-money-election-2024-d2f9badee0b28a60d32bc98c0d4e783f
Link to ORDER (PDF) - https://www.nycourts.gov/LegacyPDFS/press/PDFs/D.O.motion4contempt-FINAL.pdf
Article updated.
Previous article/headline -
Updated 10:23 AM EDT, April 30, 2024
NEW YORK (AP) -- Donald Trump was held in contempt of court Tuesday and fined $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case. And if he does it again, the judge warned, he could be jailed.
Prosecutors had alleged 10 violations, but New York Judge Juan M. Merchan found there were nine. The ruling was a stinging rebuke for the presumptive Republican nominee, who had insisted he was exercising his free speech rights. Trump stared down at the table in front of him as the judge read the ruling, frowning slightly.
Merchan wrote that he is "keenly aware of, and protective of," Trump's First Amendment rights, "particularly given his candidacy for the office of President of the United States." "It is critically important that defendant's legitimate free speech rights not be curtailed, that he be able to fully campaign for the office which he seeks and that he be able to respond and defend himself against political attacks," Merchan wrote.
Still, he warned, that the court would not tolerate "willful violations of its lawful orders and that if necessary and appropriate under the circumstances, it will impose an incarceratory punishment."
Original article -
NEW YORK (AP) -- Donald Trump was held in contempt of court Tuesday and fined $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case. If he does it again, the judge warned, he could be jailed.
Prosecutors had alleged 10 violations, but New York Judge Juan M. Merchan found there were nine. The ruling was a stinging rebuke for the Republican former president, who had insisted he was exercising his free speech rights.
Merchan wrote that Trump "is hereby warned that the Court will not tolerate continued willful violations of its lawful orders and that if necessary and appropriate under the circumstances, it will impose an incarceratory punishment." Trump stared down at the table in front of him as the judge read the ruling, frowning slightly.
The ruling came at the start of the second week of testimony in the historic case. Manhattan prosecutors say Trump and his associates took part in an illegal scheme to influence the 2016 presidential campaign by burying negative stories. He has pleaded not guilty.
= new reply since forum marked as read
