The judge presiding over former President Trump’s unprecedented criminal trial will consider remaining gag order violations Thursday after threatening to fine the 2024 Republican candidate $9,000 and serve jail time. A public hearing is scheduled to be held in the morning.
Trump’s criminal trial is scheduled to resume at 9:30 a.m. Thursday. Court will not be held on Wednesday.
Judge fines thousands of people for violating gag order, warns of possible ‘confinement’ next
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and prosecutors in his office argued that the former president violated a gag order imposed by Judge Juan Machan 14 times.
Former President Trump greets attendees at the Super Tuesday Election Night Watch Party at Mar-a-Lago on March 5, 2024 in Palm Beach, Florida. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The gag order prohibits President Trump from speaking publicly about witnesses, court officials or their families.
Marchan found on Tuesday that Trump violated the order on nine separate occasions and was fined $1,000 for each violation.
In his order, the judge detailed that Trump’s “continued and willful violation” of the gag order could result in “prison terms” if “necessary and appropriate.”
During last week’s gag order hearing, Marchan defended the 45th president’s social media comments that violated the order, saying Trump’s lawyers had “lost all confidence.”
“I asked him eight or nine times to show me the exact post he was responding to, and he never did,” Marchand told the Trump campaign last week.
NY V Former President Trump charged with violating gag order begins third week
Defense attorneys argued during the hearing that Trump was responding to an attack on himself when he posted comments that allegedly violated the order.
Following the ruling, President Trump said on social media that Marchan had “taken away my constitutional right to free speech.”
Judge Juan Machan appears in a courtroom sketch during former President Trump’s criminal trial on April 23, 2024 in New York City. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
“I am the only gagged presidential candidate in history,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“This entire ‘trial’ is fabricated and by taking away my freedom of speech, this highly contradictory judge is rigging the 2024 presidential election. Election interference!!!” he continued.
President Trump renewed his call on Tuesday morning for the “conflicted” Marchand to recuse himself from the lawsuit.
“This is a hoax. This is a conflicted judge. Very, very, very conflicted. I’ve never seen a judge so conflicted and effectively rule nothing,” Trump said. He spoke outside the courtroom before the start of his ninth trial. Day.
New York prosecutors allege President Trump tried to cover up with false business records
In Marchan’s ruling on the gag order on Tuesday, the judge lamented that he could not fine Trump more than $1,000 for each violation. He wrote in his order that it would be “desirable if the court could impose a fine commensurate with the suspect’s wealth.”
This sketch shows prosecutor Matthew Colangelo as former President Trump makes his opening statement with his attorney Todd Blanche in a Manhattan courtroom on April 22, 2024 in New York City. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
“In some cases, the fine may be $2,500; in other cases, the fine may be $150,000. This court has no hidden discretion, and in some cases it may result in a penalty that requires imprisonment.” “We need to consider whether this is the case,” he said. and reiterated that if President Trump continues to violate this order, he could face prison time.
Meanwhile, at 10 a.m. Marchan is expected to invite jurors into the courtroom to resume witness testimony.
So far, prosecutors have accused David Pecker, former chief executive of American Media, Lorna Graf, a former assistant and senior vice president at the Trump Organization, and Gary Faro, a former managing director at First Republic Bank. has called Stormy Daniels’ former lawyer Dylan Howard to the stand. testify
On April 16, 2024, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Trump has been charged with 34 counts of first-degree falsification of business records related to allegations that he paid adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about an alleged affair with Trump before the 2016 election. .
Trump trial: Former president is “not guilty,” defense claims DA claims “conspiracy”
Mr. Bragg must convince jurors that Mr. Trump not only falsified business records related to the hush-money payments, but also that he did so in furtherance of another crime: conspiracy to promote or prevent the election. Must be.
Prosecutors will aim to prove that the alleged conspiracy was to cover up a conspiracy to illegally promote his candidacy in 2016.
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Falsification of business records and conspiracy to promote or prevent an election are generally considered misdemeanors in and of themselves.
Mr. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
