During a recent hearing in the criminal hush money trial involving former President Donald Trump, Judge Juan Merchan addressed concerns regarding a potential violation of the gag order imposed on Trump. The order prohibits Trump from publicly discussing witnesses or jurors related to the case.
The prosecution highlighted eight social media posts and two campaign website posts where Trump had commented on expected trial witness Michael Cohen. Prosecutor Chris Conroy is seeking the maximum fine of $1,000 for each of these posts, arguing that Trump knowingly violated the order despite being aware of its restrictions.
Conroy emphasized that Trump's actions pose a significant threat to the integrity of the trial proceedings. The prosecution dismissed the defense's argument that Trump was merely responding to attacks by Cohen, labeling it as an attempt to obfuscate the issue at hand.
In addition to the requested fines, prosecutors are urging the judge to remind Trump of the potential consequences of further violations. They emphasized that future breaches of the court's restrictions on extrajudicial statements could result in not only additional fines but also a possible term of incarceration of up to thirty days.
