Judge tells Trump he faces jail if he continues to breach gag order
Donald Trump was warned yesterday by the judge overseeing his hushmoney trial that he could be sent to jail if he continued to violate a gag order against him speaking about witnesses and jurors in the case.
Juan Merchan’s admonition to Trump came as the Republican presidential frontrunner was held in criminal contempt for a 10th time and fined $1,000 (about £800) over his repeated commentary on those in court. It came less than a week after Trump was held in criminal contempt and fined $9,000 for violating the gag order on other occasions.
The most recent order was in response to comments by Trump on the jury that described their selection as rushed.
“Mr Trump, as you know the prosecution has filed three separate motions to find you in criminal contempt,” Merchan said. “It appears that the $1,000 fines are not a deterrent.”
He continued: “The last thing I want to do is put you in jail. You are the former president of the United States and possibly the next president as well … but at the end of the day, I have a job to do and part of that job is to protect the dignity of the judicial system.”
Trump’s actions constituted “a direct attack on the rule of law”, Merchan said. “I cannot allow that to continue. So as much as I do not want to impose a jail sanction, I want you to understand that I will, if necessary and appropriate.”
The warning was delivered moments after Trump entered Merchan’s courtroom for the 12th day of his criminal hush-money trial.
The first witness called was Jeffrey McConney, a former Trump Organization controller. Prosecutors asked him who approved Trump Organization payments.
The morning’s proceedings came after testimony last week from the top Trump campaign aide Hope Hicks. On Friday Hicks told jurors that Trump wielded complete control over his 2016 presidential campaign, including a media strategy that prosecutors allege involved illicit business records for hush-money payments.
Prosecutors must establish that Trump plotted with aides – his then lawyer Michael Cohen and the tabloid publisher David Pecker – to bury negative stories that could have thwarted his run for the US presidency, including accounts of extramarital affairs with the adult film actor Stormy Daniels and the Playboy model Karen McDougal.