Prosecutors ask hush money judge to fine Trump $3K for violating gag order
NEW YORK — The Manhattan district attorney’s office on Monday sought to fine former President Trump over his inflammatory social media posts and remarks about his criminal hush money case.
Assistant District Attorney Chris Conroy said the former president in three recent Truth Social posts violated a gag order imposed by Judge Juan Merchan barring him from attacking witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and the judge’s family.
Conroy asked that Trump be fined $1,000 for each post and be reminded he can be jailed if he continues violating the gag order. The judge has not yet ruled.
“The defendant is aware of the April 1 order. We know that from various posts he had made,” Conroy said.
Trump attorney Todd Blanche insisted the posts in question don’t violate the gag order, however.
“He is responding to salacious, repeated, vehement attacks by these witnesses,” Blanche said.
Monday’s development, which came on the first day of Trump’s hush money trial, followed a series of Truth Social posts Trump made about potential witnesses in recent days.
Prosecutors pointed to an April 10 post where Trump thanked Michael Avenatti, the ex-lawyer to porn actress Stormy Daniels, for “revealing the truth about two sleazebags who have, with their lies and misrepresentations, cost our Country dearly.” The “sleazebags” referenced by Avenatti were Daniels and Trump’s ex-fixer, Michael Cohen.
Another Trump post in question, also shared April 10, showed an “official statement” by Daniels where she denied having an affair with Trump — a core allegation in the case. Daniels later recanted the statement, which was not noted in Trump’s post.
And lastly, in an April 13 post, Trump described Cohen as a “disgraced attorney and felon…prosecuted for lying” and suggested Mark Pomerantz, an ex-Manhattan prosecutor who once oversaw the investigation into the former president, should be “prosecuted for his terrible acts in and out of the D.A.’s Office.”
Prosecutors suggested a post Trump issued Monday morning as he arrived at the courthouse may also violate the gag order. The motion was written beforehand and does not reference it, however.
The gag order does not preclude Trump from insulting Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) or the judge himself. It originally did not cover members of Bragg’s and Merchan’s families but was expanded after Trump took aim at the judge’s daughter, Loren, who works for a progressive political consulting firm that has boasted clients including President Biden and Vice President Harris.
Trump has appealed the order, arguing that banning public statements about individuals wrapped up in the case unconstitutionally restrains his free speech while running for president and mounting his defense.
A single judge on the mid-level New York appeals court declined to pause the trial over Trump’s request, but a full five-judge panel has yet to hear the matter.
Date: | |
Tag: | Donald Trump |
Filter
-
David Pecker testifies Michael Cohen said Trump ‘furious’ over refusal to pay Stormy Daniels – live
Ex-National Enquirer publisher emphasizing in testimony that he refused to pay off any more people for Trump when Stormy Daniels looked to sell her affair. A guide to Trump’s hush-money trialWho is David Pecker, key witness in Trump’s criminal ...The Guardian - World - Donald Trump -
Prosecutors Say Trump Keeps Breaking Gag Order, With Four New Violations
The judge in his criminal case is already considering whether to punish the former president for statements about jurors and witnesses in the case.The New York Times - Top stories - Donald Trump -
Hush-money trial live: Trump appears to repeat call for lifting of gag order after Pecker testimony ends
Ex-president rails against ban on attacking key people connected to the trial; longtime Trump assistant asked whether boss distracted while signing checks. Trump defense attorney Emil Bove has resumed his cross-examination of Pecker.. “We were ...The Guardian - World - Donald Trump -
Here are all the gag order violations Trump is accused of making
As Trump awaits a ruling on whether he will be held in contempt for violating a gag order, prosecutors on Thursday accused him of making four more violations.ABC News - Top stories - Donald Trump -
Madrid prosecutors ask judge to shelve investigation into Spanish PM’s wife
Pressure group accusing Begoña Gómez of corruption admits media reports allegations were based on may not be true. Prosecutors in Madrid have asked a judge to throw out a preliminary corruption investigation against the wife of Spain’s prime ...The Guardian - World -
Another contempt hearing for Trump over gag order next week
The judge in Donald Trump's "hush money" trial says more arguments will be heard next Thursday over whether the former president should be held in contempt for allegedly violating the gag order set in the case. CBS News correspondent Errol Barnett ...CBS News - Top stories - Donald Trump -
Testimony ends for the day in Trump hush money trial
The prosecution continued to question the ex-publisher of the National Enquirer David Pecker as Donald Trump sat in a New York courtroom Thursday for his criminal hush money trial.CNN - Top stories - Donald Trump -
Testimony resumes in Trump "hush money" trial
Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker will be back on the stand Thursday in Donald Trump's New York criminal trial. The judge in the case has yet to decide if the former president will be held in contempt for violating a gag order. ...CBS News - Top stories - Donald Trump -
New testimony in Trump "hush money" trial
Testimony continued Thursday in former President Donald Trump's criminal "hush money" trial. David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, detailed alleged efforts to suppress stories involving adult film star Stormy Daniels. CBS ...CBS News - Top stories - Donald Trump -
'The boss' featured at Trump hush-money trial
Former magazine publisher David Pecker detailed how he helped bury stories for Trump, who he called “the boss”.BBC News - Top stories - Donald Trump
More from The Hill
-
Five companies create a quarter of plastic pollution: Study
Five companies are responsible for a quarter of all plastic waste worldwide, according to a study published in the journal Science Advances. The study, conducted by the Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, involved surveys of plastic ...The Hill - Politics -
Canceling student debt may be legal but it’s theft
The inequity of canceling student debt but no other types of debt will become more glaring.The Hill - Politics -
Trump leads in 3-way race with Biden, RFK Jr.: Poll
Former President Trump is the front-runner in a three-way race with President Biden and Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to a Harvard CAPS-Harris poll shared with The Hill on Monday. In a race between the three candidates, ...The Hill - Politics - Donald Trump -
'Snow deluge' years on the decline across the US West, thanks to climate change: Study
While climate change is in general increasing the ferocity and frequency of severe weather events, the same effects may not apply to the massive snow dumps that occasionally pummel the U.S. West. The quantity of snow that falls during so-called ...The Hill - Politics - Climate -
Tens of thousands of medical tests to now fall under federal oversight
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is revising long-standing rules to place laboratory tests under the same jurisdiction as other testing, which the agency says will help ensure better safety and efficacy. Since 1976, the FDA has not enforced ...The Hill - Politics