Former President Donald Trump will be required to back up his words with actions following his contempt of court ruling for breaching a gag order. On Tuesday, Judge Juan Merchan determined that Trump had violated the gag order, which was implemented to prevent him from targeting jurors and witnesses involved in the ongoing hush money trial in New York City, as reported by NBC News.
BREAKING: Judge presiding over Donald Trump’s hush money trial holds the former president in criminal contempt over a series of posts on Truth Social that he said violated a gag order. https://t.co/XxRPmMUNOU
— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 30, 2024
The judge, Merchan, discovered that Trump had shown contempt nine times and imposed a $1,000 fine for each offense when he posted on Truth Social. Merchan also warned that further violations could result in imprisonment if deemed necessary. The gag order prohibits Trump from making public statements about potential witnesses or jurors involved in the investigation or criminal proceedings.
During a hearing on April 23, Merchan expressed concerns about Trump’s credibility after one of his attorneys claimed he was attempting to comply with the gag order. The prosecution accused Trump of violating the order at least 10 times, including posts referring to Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels as “sleaze bags.” They requested a maximum fine of $1,000 for each violation and asked for the removal of the posts, which the judge granted.
Additionally, the prosecution urged Merchan to caution Trump about the possibility of further fines and jail time if he continued to violate the order.
