Donald Trump has been fined $9,000 for breaching a court order prohibiting him from speaking negatively about jurors and witnesses in his hush money trial in New York. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan issued the fine, citing multiple violations of the gag order that he had previously imposed. The issue of further breaches and fines will be discussed in a hearing on Thursday.
Despite the fine, Merchan allowed Trump to attend his son Barron’s graduation on May 17. Trump had allegedly violated the order 11 times by discussing individuals associated with the trial, but his lawyers argued that his comments were in response to political attacks against him. The former president is still permitted to criticize Bragg or Merchan.
The court ruled that Trump cannot disparage jurors or witnesses, or target family members of court staff, including his own relatives and those of District Attorney Alvin Bragg. He has been vocal about expected trial witnesses Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels, but Cohen is not subject to the gag order. Trump was ordered to remove posts from his social media accounts targeting the jury, Cohen, and Daniels to comply with the court ruling.
The jury in the trial remains anonymous, with concerns brought up during selection about their identities being exposed. The jurors come from diverse backgrounds and have sworn not to be involved in any political groups related to Trump. While Trump could potentially face jail time for violating the gag order, prosecutors did not request this punishment in this instance but did warn that future breaches could result in such consequences.
Trump has rejected the gag order as “unfair” and claimed it violates his constitutional rights to free speech. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of falsifying business records related to payments made to Daniels to conceal damaging stories before the 2016 election. Prosecutors allege that the payment was part of an illegal conspiracy involving the National Enquirer tabloid. The case remains ongoing, with Trump continuing to defend himself while navigating the legal proceedings.
