Trump faces contempt hearing for witness remarks
NEW YORK: Donald Trump faced a contempt of court hearing yesterday as part of his historic criminal trial, with New York prosecutors insisting the former president repeatedly violated the gag order issued to prevent him from intimidating witnesses.
The hearing comes a day after the jury heard opening arguments in Mr Trump’s hush money case, with prosecutors placing him at the centre of a criminal conspiracy while his defence team insisted he was “cloaked in innocence”.
The case, which centres on allegations of business fraud in the lead-up to Mr Trump’s 2016 election victory, is the first-ever criminal trial of a former US president — and is already imperilling Mr Trump’s November White House bid as he’s unable to ditch court for the campaign trail.
Yesterday’s contempt hearing will focus on statements the Republican made about witnesses Michael Cohen — his former personal fixer — and Stormy Daniels, a porn star.
The ex-president is accused of falsifying business records with Mr Cohen to buy the silence of Ms Daniels over an alleged 2006 sexual encounter that could have negatively impacted his presidential bid.
Mr Trump has been under a partial gag order imposed by Judge Juan Merchan to prevent him from publicly attacking witnesses, prosecutors and relatives of court staff.
But that didn’t stop him from posting on his social media site about Mr Cohen and Ms Daniels, whom he called “two sleaze bags who have, with their lies and misrepresentations, cost our country dearly”.
Mr Trump has also made statements about the jury, which the prosecution has added to their original complaint on the gag order violation.
Cited in the supplemental complaint is another Truth Social post, where Mr Trump quoted Fox News commentator Jesse Watters as alleging that “undercover liberal activists [are] lying to the judge in order to get on the Trump jury”.
Mr Trump’s lawyers say the gag order violates his free speech rights, while the prosecution worries his statements could trigger harassment of those involved with the case.
Mr Merchan has already scolded Mr Trump to his face after the defendant was muttering loud enough to be heard by prospective jurors and gesturing animatedly.
“I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom,” Mr Merchan said.