Judge raises possibility of putting Trump behind bars
NEW YORK: The judge presiding over Donald Trump’s $250 million civil fraud trial in New York raised the possibility on Friday of puting the former president behind bars ater Trump failed to comply with a partial gag order requiring him to remove a post condemning the judge’s law clerk on social media, NBC News reported.
Justice Arthur Engoron said in court on Friday morning that Trump had posted on his social media account “an untrue and disparaging post about my clerk” and that he spoke to the former president about the mater, according to NBC News.
“I ordered him to remove the post immediately and he said he did take it down,” Engoron was quoted as saying by the news outlet.
“Despite this order, last night I learned the offending post was never removed from a website. This is a blatant violation of the gag order. I made it clear (that) failure to comply will result in serious sanctions,” the judge added.
A spokesperson for New York state Atorney General Letitia James, who brought the case, declined to comment.
Trump atorney Christopher Kise told NBC that, based on his understanding, “this was truly inadvertent.”
Engoron imposed the gag order on Trump on Oct.3, the trial’s second day, ater Trump shared a social media post by the clerk, who was identified by name, posing with Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer of New York, who is not involved in the case. Trump referred to the clerk as “Schumer’s girlfriend.”
Kise told NBC the post was taken down from Trump’s Truth Social network ater the judge’s ruling, “and Trump never made any more comments about court staff, but it appears no one took it down on the campaign website. It is unfortunate and I apologise on behalf of my client.”
James has accused Trump, his two adult sons, the Trump Organisation and others of inflating asset values over a decade to secure favorable bank loans and insurance terms, and exaggerating Trump’s own riches by more than $2 billion. The trial could lead to the dismantling of Trump’s business empire as he seeks to regain the presidency in 2024.