An unprecedented 2024 Republican presidential nominee is once again charged with contempt of court, fined, threatened with jail time for future gag order violations, and told he will be required to appear in Manhattan. Former President Trump’s unprecedented criminal trial resumes on Tuesday morning. He will spend at least two more weeks in court.
President Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 charges of first-degree falsification of business records. The charges stem from a years-long investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office..
The charges are related to alleged payments made to silence adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election about her alleged affair with President Trump in 2006.
NY V Trump: Judge suggests prison sentence for ‘possibly next president’ for future gag order violations
This courtroom sketch shows former President Trump listening to testimony from former Trump Organization administrator Jeffrey McConney during Trump’s criminal trial in New York City on May 6, 2024. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Trump not only falsified business records related to the alleged hush money payments, but also in furtherance of another crime, a conspiracy to promote or obstruct an election, which is a felony. You have to convince the jury of that.
Falsification of business records and conspiracy to promote or prevent an election are misdemeanors in and of themselves.
Monday’s court session began with Judge Juan Melchan ruling on the remaining gag order charges, again ruling that the former president had violated the rule.
Marchan imposed a gag order on Trump before the trial began, prohibiting him from making public statements about potential participants, lawyers in cases other than Bragg, or court or prosecutor’s office officials, or from speaking to others. President Trump was ordered to instruct. Or a staff member’s family.
A judge on Monday fined Trump an additional $1,000 for his Truth Social posts about the trial and said he would begin “considering prison terms” if he violates the gag order again.
This courtroom sketch was created by attorney Keith Davidson, who represented former Playboy model Karen McDougall, and defense attorney Emil Bove at President Trump’s criminal trial in New York City on May 2, 2024. It depicts former President Trump watching as he is cross-examined. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
“The last thing I want to think about is prison,” Marchan said. “you [the] Former president, and possibly the next president. ”
“I haven’t forgotten the magnitude of that decision,” he continued. “Your continued willful violation of the court’s orders… constitutes a direct assault… and this cannot be allowed to continue. … It cannot be allowed to continue.”
Mr. Trump and his lawyers say the gag order violates not only his First Amendment rights, but also the First Amendment rights of his supporters, and the former president and would-be Republican presidential nominee is banned. He argued that he should not be bound by oral orders.
Biden, the former head of the Justice Department who is prosecuting Trump, once received compensation for “political consulting” from the DNC.
President Trump has previously been fined a total of $10,000 for violating gag orders.
Also on Monday, prosecutors called a 10th witness in the case. That person is Jeff McConney, who served as senior vice president and general manager at the Trump Organization until his retirement last year. Maconie was responsible for the company’s tax returns.
McConney testified that Allen Weisselberg, then-chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, instructed him to give former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen $35,000 a month. He said the payments were switched from Trump’s trust account to his personal account. A total of $420,000 was transferred to Mr. Cohen, which Mr. McConney said was a “gross amount” for tax purposes.
This courtroom sketch shows former Trump Organization administrator Jeffrey McConney testifying at former President Trump’s criminal trial in New York City on May 6, 2024. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
But McConney said Trump “never” personally ordered the payments to be made in 2017.
“Was Michael Cohen a lawyer?” Trump’s lawyer Emil Bove asked McConney during cross-examination.
“Of course I do,” McConney replied.
“And the payments to the lawyers by the Trump Organization are legal costs, right?” Bove asked.
“Yes,” McConney said.
“President Trump did not ask you to do what you just described…is that correct?” Bove asked.
“He didn’t,” McConney replied.
NY V Trump: Prosecution witness testifies that Trump did not instruct him about payments to Cohen
Prosecutors then called Deborah Tarasoff, an accounts payable supervisor at the Trump Organization, for allegedly helping arrange hush money payments to Cohen.
Mr. Tarasoff referred to the payments to Mr. Cohen as “legal costs” or “maintenance costs” at the time they were made.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images/File)
Tarasov said that “only Trump” can sign checks from his personal account, adding: “If he didn’t want to sign it, he wouldn’t have.” Tarasoff also testified that he had no decision-making authority and was only following instructions.
Meanwhile, prosecutors said Monday that it would take at least another two to three weeks to bring charges against the former president.
“I just found out that the government wants a couple more weeks, which means they want to keep me out of court for a couple more weeks,” Trump said after the jury was released Monday. he said. “The judges will be very happy for the next couple of weeks, because they all want to keep me out of the campaign.”
He added: “This is what it’s all about. This is about election interference.”
Former President Trump waves to fans during the F1 Miami Grand Prix on May 5, 2024. (Song Haiyuan/MB Media/Getty Images)
After Monday’s court session, Trump also addressed Marchand’s threat of prison time for violating the gag order, telling reporters he was willing to make the “sacrifice” of a prison sentence to protect free speech. Ta.
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President Trump told reporters that they had asked him a “simple question” and that he would like to “answer it.” [an answer]But I can’t talk about it because this judge has put a gag order on me and says I’ll go to jail if I violate it. ”
“And frankly, you know what? Our Constitution is far more important than prison. It doesn’t come close to that. I’m always willing to make that sacrifice,” Trump said.
