Former President Donald Trump has said he would make the “sacrifice” of going to prison to protect free speech amid a trial in Manhattan where the 45th president is under a gag order that is deemed “unconstitutional.” Stated.
“I have to be careful with every word I say to you. You ask me questions, and I want to answer them, but I can’t talk about them. Because this judge… issued me with a gag order, [says] If you violate it, you go to jail,” Trump said in remarks outside court Monday afternoon.
“And frankly, you know what? Our Constitution is much more important than prison. It’s not even close. I’m willing to make that sacrifice any day.”
Earlier Monday, Chief Judge Juan Melchán said he would consider a prison sentence for Trump if he continues to violate the gag order. The gag order prohibits President Trump from making any public statements or directing others regarding statements about witnesses or their potential participation, court officials, prosecutor’s office officials, or family members of those employees.
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Former President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media at Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday, April 15, 2024 in New York, United States. Jury selection in Trump’s criminal trial begins Monday, and he faces 34 felony counts of falsifying court records. An alleged plot to silence allegations of extramarital sexual encounters during the 2016 presidential campaign. (Angela Weiss/AFP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Prosecutors argued that Trump violated the order more than 10 times, and a judge ruled last week that Trump violated the order nine times and would be fined a total of $9,000. Marchan on Monday fined the former president an additional $1,000 for additional violations, but argued it was “clear” that a $1,000 fine per violation was ineffective.
“The last thing I want to think about is prison,” Marchan said. “you [the] Former president, and possibly the next president. ”
In the first gag order ruling last Tuesday, the judge threatened Trump with prison time for any further violations, but also ruled that Trump could not be fined more than $1,000 for each violation. I lamented.
In Tuesday’s order, Marchan said Trump’s “continued and willful violations” of the gag order could result in “prison terms” if “necessary and appropriate.” I wrote it down.
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“Unfortunately, the cost of fines will not achieve the desired results when violators can easily pay such fines,” Machan lamented in his order.
Judge Juan Mercian poses for a photo in his New York courtroom on Thursday, March 14, 2024. (AP)
In last week’s order, Marchan continued, it would be desirable for the court to be able to “impose a fine commensurate with the suspect’s wealth.”
“In some cases it could be a $2,500 fine, and in other cases it could be a $150,000 fine. There is no hidden discretion in this court, so in some cases it could be a fine of $2,500, and in other cases it could be a fine of $150,000. “We must consider whether this constitutes a necessary punishment,” he said. He reiterated that if President Trump continues to violate this order, he could face prison time.
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Former President Donald Trump was held in state court in Manhattan, New York, during his criminal trial for allegedly falsifying business records to hide money he paid to hush porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016. Organization administrator Jeffrey McConney is questioned by prosecutor Matthew Colangelo before Judge Juan Marchan. York City, USA, May 6, 2024 Courtroom Sketches. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
President Trump, who is on trial for 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, has slammed the gag order as “unconstitutional” and accused Marchan of “election interference”, while calling the entire incident a “fraud” promoted by the Biden administration. He vehemently criticized it.
In remarks Monday, Trump said the trial would last another two to three weeks, pleasing Marchan, who would be kept away from the presidential campaign.
On April 22, 2024, former US President Donald Trump appears in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City to give his opening statement at his trial on charges of concealing hush money payments. Former President Donald Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in his first criminal case to go to trial. (Brendan McDiarmid Pool/Getty Images)
“Then I found out that the government wanted a couple more weeks. So they wanted to keep me off track for a couple more weeks. Now, anyone out there. , you’ll understand there’s no case. They’re not. All the legal scholars say there’s no case, but this is just political interference and it’s really shameful,” Trump said. he accused with an air of excitement. Poll numbers.
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“The judges are very happy for the next couple of weeks because they all want to keep me out of the campaign. This is what it’s all about. This is about election interference.”
On May 6, 2024, in Manhattan State Court in New York City, U.S., former Trump Organization administrator Jeffrey McConney hid money paid to hush porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016. He testified in former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial on charges of falsifying business records to increase his legal status. This courtroom sketch. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
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Monday marked the beginning of the fourth week of President Trump’s trial, where he is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The lawsuit alleges that President Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen paid former porn actor Stormy Daniels $130,000 in 2006 to hush claims that she had an affair with the then real estate mogul. is focused on. Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels.
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Prosecutors allege that the Trump Organization reimbursed Cohen and fraudulently recorded the payments as legal costs. Prosecutors are working to prove that President Trump falsified records with the intent to commit or conceal a second felony crime.
