Former US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media while arriving at Manhattan criminal court in New York, US, on Monday, May 6, 2024. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of an alleged scheme to silence claims of extramarital sexual encounters during his 2016 presidential campaign. Photographer: Steven Hirsch/New York Post/Bloomberg via Getty Images
On Monday (May 6), Donald Trump was fined for the second time in his hush money trial in New York. A judge ordered him to pay $1,000 for his 10th gag order violation, per the Associated Press.
Less than a week ago, Trump was held in contempt of court after repeatedly ignoring an order to refrain from publicly speaking about witnesses, jurors, and some others connected to his case.
At the time, Judge Juan M. Merchan ordered Donnie to pay $9,000 — $1,000 for each violation — by the close of business on May 3. Now, just days later, the former president has collected another bill over the gag order.
Before the jurors entered the courtroom, the judge also warned Donald for a second time about facing jail time if he continued popping off at the mouth.
“It appears that the $1,000 fines are not serving as a deterrent. Therefore, going forward, this court will have to consider a jail sanction,” Judge Merchan told the court.
He added that Trump’s statements “threaten to interfere with the fair administration of justice and constitute a direct attack on the rule of law.” Judge Merchan said he will not “allow that to continue.”
Trump sat forward in his seat, glowering at the judge as he handed down the ruling, per AP. When the judge finished speaking, Trump shook his head twice and crossed his arms.
However, the court official clarified that jail is his “last resort.”
“The last thing I want to do is put you in jail,” Judge Merchan said. “You are the former president of the United States and possibly the next president as well. There are many reasons why incarceration is truly a last resort for me. To take that step would be disruptive to these proceedings.”
The latest violation stems from an April 22 interview with television channel ‘Real America’s Voice.’ During the sit-down, Donald Trump criticized the speed at which the jury was picked and claimed, without evidence, that it was stacked with Democrats.
Today, jurors heard testimony for the first time about the financial reimbursements at the center of the case.
Former Trump Organization controller Jeffrey McConney explained how the company reimbursed payments meant to suppress embarrassing stories from surfacing during the 2016 presidential campaign. Then, the company recorded them in internal ledgers as legal expenses in a manner that Manhattan prosecutors said broke the law.
McConney’s appearance on the witness stand came as the landmark criminal trial entered its third week of testimony. According to the AP, this marks the first criminal trial involving a former American president.
Associated Press staff Michael R. Sisak, Jennifer Peltz, Eric Tucker, and Jake Offenhartz contributed to this report.
