Judge fines Trump thousands over violating gag order, warns 'incarceratory punishment' could be next
Former President Trump was found guilty of violating a gag order at least nine times in the NY v. Trump case in Manhattan, the presiding judge ruled Tuesday.
Judge Juan Merchan fined Trump $9,000 for violating a gag order that bans him from speaking publicly about witnesses and family members of court officials. The judge found he violated the order on nine separate occasions, with each violation resulting in a $1,000 fine.
The judge detailed in the order that if Trump carries out "continued willful violations" of the gag order, he could face "incarceratory punishment" if "necessary and appropriate."
Trump attorneys argue the gag order is a violation of the former president’s First Amendment rights. District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his office alleged Trump violated the order at least 14 times, as of last week. 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 the Trump team was "losing all credibility" while defending the 45th president'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 in the hearing that Trump was responding to attacks when he made comments that allegedly violated the order. 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.
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Trump has meanwhile slammed the case overall as a "scam" promoted by the Biden administration, and has argued the gag order has stripped him of the ability to defend himself against accusations in the case.
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"We have a gag order, which to me is totally unconstitutional. I'm not allowed to talk, but people are allowed to talk about me. So, they can talk about me," Trump said outside the New York City courtroom. "They can say whatever they want, they can lie, but I'm not allowed to say anything. I just have to sit back and look at why a conflicted judge has ordered me to have [a] gag order," Trump said in comments outside the courtroom last week.
"I don't think anybody's ever seen anything like this. I'd love to talk to you people. I'd love to say everything that's on my mind, but I'm restricted because I have a gag order," he continued.