On Tuesday morning, acting judge Juan Marchand held Donald Trump in contempt, claiming he violated a gag order by sharing posts on social media. live update From the court. Trump faces a $1,000 fine for each violation.
Machan had previously issued a gag order against the former president, prohibiting him from commenting publicly about anyone involved in the case or his family. Before going to trial, Trump’s lawyers made multiple attempts to overturn the restraining order. All attempts were rejected.
manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg (D) References 10 social media posts posted on Truth Social accusing President Trump of violating the order. In one of Trump’s posts, he referred to “two scumbags,” which prosecutors said were former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and porn actress Stormy Daniels. Both men are expected to testify against Trump in his New York criminal trial.
In a court filing last week, Bragg urged the judge to remind Trump that violating the gag order could result in prison time. Mr. Bragg also called for the former president to be held in contempt and forced to pay $1,000 for each of his posts.
During last Tuesday’s trial, prosecutor Chris Conroy said the social media posts were[d] It is a very real threat to court proceedings that purportedly attacks the “credibility” of witnesses.
Marchand and Trump lawyer Todd Blanche had some sort of conflict. heat exchange Regarding whether President Trump violated the order.
Blanche insisted that Trump’s post had nothing to do with the incident and was a response to political attacks from Cohen and Daniels. Mr. Trump and his defense team have repeatedly said their witnesses are not prohibited from making disparaging comments about Mr. Trump, the case against him or his political activities.
“President Trump is authorized to respond to political attacks,” Blanche told Marchand last week.
Marchand asked Branch to provide specific examples of comments by Cohen and Daniels to which Trump responded in social media posts. In response to the request, Blanche said the two have repeatedly spoken out and have recently “intensified their political attacks and attacks on him as a candidate.”
The judge was reportedly not satisfied with Blanche’s response and again asked for an exact example.
“What I’m realizing is that I keep asking you over and over again for specific answers and I’m not getting them,” Marchand told Blanche. Told. “I asked you eight or nine times to show me the exact post he was replying to. You were never able to do that.”
Mr Machan warned Mr Blanche that he had “lost all confidence in the court”.
Blanche claimed that Trump was “taking great care to comply” with Marchand’s orders.
Last week, President Trump Posted Truth Social says, “We have a corrupt judge working for the Democratic Party who refuses to close this ‘case’ that should never have been brought by soft-on-crime Alvin Bragg. There is.Judge Machan should do this. [be] It must be immediately withdrawn and the Court of Appeals must take over. ”
The trial continued Thursday morning, with prosecutors alleging that Trump violated the gag order several more times in recent days. In a news interview earlier this week, President Trump said that 95% of his jury is made up of Democrats. Prosecutors say these statements also violated a judge’s order.
Trump also called witness and former tabloid publisher David Pecker a “good guy” on Thursday morning.
Conroy said, “This is a message to Mr. Pecker. Be kind. It’s a message to everyone else.”
On Tuesday, a judge sided with prosecutors, declaring that President Trump had violated the gag order in several cases presented. As a result of Marchand’s latest ruling, Trump will have to pay $1,000 for each of nine violations. He was also ordered to remove “offensive posts” from Truth Social and two “offensive posts” from his campaign website.
“The defendant is therefore hereby cautioned that the court will not tolerate continued willful violation of a legal order and will impose a term of imprisonment if necessary and appropriate under the circumstances,” Marchand’s order reads. It is written.
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