Trump held in contempt for violating gag order in "hush money" trial. Here's how much he owes. - CBS News
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
By Graham Kates, Katrina Kaufman
Updated on: April 30, 2024 / 11:09 AM EDT / CBS News
Trump's New York criminal trial resumes Donald Trump's New York criminal trial resumes with second week of testimony01:36
The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York held him in contempt of court on Tuesday for violating a gag order that limits what he can say about those involved in the case, and warned him that he could be jailed if he violates the order again.
Judge Juan Merchan said Trump violated the order nine times in recent weeks in posts on Trump's Truth Social platform and campaign website, many of which targeted Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels, key witnesses in the case. Merchan fined Trump $9,000, or $1,000 for each violation, and ordered him to delete the posts.
The judge announced the ruling from the bench and issued an accompanying written order. He wrote that Trump "violated the Order by making social media posts about known witnesses pertaining to their participation in this criminal proceeding and by making public statements about jurors in this criminal proceeding."
Merchan wrote that New York law doesn't allow him to impose a fine higher than $1,000 per violation, which "unfortunately will not achieve the desired result in those instances where the [defendant] can easily afford such a fine." He said a higher fine might be appropriate in those cases, but since he does not have that discretion, the court "must therefore consider whether in some instances, jail may be a necessary punishment."
He concluded with a warning to Trump: "Defendant is hereby warned that the Court will not tolerate continued willful violations of its lawful orders and that if necessary and appropriate under the circumstances, it will impose an incarceratory punishment."
Merchan issued the original gag order in March, before the trial got underway. It barred Trump from commenting on likely witnesses, potential jurors, court staff, lawyers for the prosecution and others connected to the case. The judge later expanded that order to cover his own family members after Trump attacked his daughter over her consulting work with Democratic candidates and progressive causes.
The gag order does not prevent Trump from criticizing Merchan or Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney.
Prosecutors from Bragg's office filed a motion urging the judge to find Trump in contempt over 10 posts targeting Cohen, Daniels and others. Merchan found that Trump violated the order in all but one of the posts.
Prosecutors laid out four other instances in which they said Trump violated the order when court convened last Thursday. Those four alleged violations are the subject of a hearing set to be held this week.
At a hearing over the posts earlier last week, Chris Conroy, an attorney on Bragg's team, said they "willfully and flagrantly" violated the order.
"No one is off limits to the defendant. He can attack and seek to intimidate anyone he wants to in service to himself," prosecutor Chris Conroy said. He asked that the judge impose a $1,000 fine for each post and order Trump to take them down.
Todd Blanche, an attorney for Trump, argued that his client was responding to political attacks in his posts, and did not believe he was violating the order when reposting or quoting others. Merchan repeatedly asked him to name the precise attacks Trump was responding to, which Blanche could not do.
"Mr. Blanche, you're losing all credibility. I have to tell you that right now. You're losing all credibility with the court," Merchan said at one point.
Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records related to reimbursements for a $130,000 "hush money" payment to Daniels, an adult film star who said she had a sexual encounter with Trump, which Trump denies. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges in the case, and repeatedly protested the gag order as "unconstitutional."
Graham Kates
Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at KatesG@cbsnews.com or grahamkates@protonmail.com
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Boop!
any other criminal defendant that had done what that pile of maga shit has done would already be sitting in jail...
What is the alleged "crime" in this case? Why would someone go to jail for what is actually a misdemeanor?
why would I want to yell down a bottomless rabbit hole?
Dev is talking about Trump's open contempt for court.
You know? What we are discussing. The topic at hand...
The Judge found Trump guilty and he assessed a fine.
The next step will be a few days in jail like anyone else!
No it won't.
I get it...
I'm definitely hoping for something more lengthy or permanent...
He was told to keep his mouth shut, he didn't.
I mean...one could gather just from the title of the article, couldn't one?
Judge proves again that he is nothing more than a Democrat POS. (There are a lot of them these days)
Funny how the Judge, prosecutors, and everyone else involved is free to talk about the case in any terms they feel like.
The jury is not even sequestered. So they can get the full TDS driven narrative each and every day when they go home.
Democrats proving they are still shitting on the law and Constitution daily.
Everyone else would be in jail for contempt. They need to take off the kid gloves and treat trump like the bottom feeding criminal that he is.
If this judge was fair, he would have thrown trump in jail for 270 days, 30 days per offence. You really need to drop the rhetoric, Jesus.
Another example of how Trump is catered to by our system. Because he is a former PotUS (and the presumptive nominee for the GOP) he is given all sorts of slack. Have someone else try even half the crap he pulls here and they would already be in custody.
Unfortunately, the Republicans on the Supreme Court, through their machinations and delay, are already placing Trump above the law.
Prove it.
it's the SCOTUS legacy that robert's is apparently willing to live with. hope it was all worth it, after trump loses again.
The SCotUS refused to hear the immunity case when Jack Smith brought it up. They instead forced it to go through the court system. It went through the court system and, of course, as Smith predicted, it eventually wound up with Trump asking the SCotUS to override the decision that he is not 100% immune. This delayed Smith's trial. But, the SCotUS could have held that they wanted lower courts to rule first to be thorough. So we can let that slide.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit unanimously stated that Trump is not 100% immune.
The SCotUS could then have easily and appropriately refused to hear the appeal and let it stand that Trump is not 100% immune. A fact that is obvious. But they took the case (why?). And then instead of hearing it right away scheduled a hearing 6 weeks later. Now they will deliberate and if they do not come back quickly with a decisive response that allows Jack Smith's postponed cases to continue, they will have added yet another unnecessary delay to Trump's trial. The more the delay, the more evidence that the SCotUS is acting extrajudicially in Trump's interest.
There is no justification for SCotUS hearing the immunity case since all that is needed for Smith to proceed is to state that Trump is not 100% immune. That was unanimously determined by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. There was no reason to take the case unless they believe Trump IS 100% immune or that they want a delay.
As he sits in a courtroom everyday and is facing several others. That is without question the stupidest comment anyone has ever written on NT.
Comment 3.1.4 is beyond any dispute among the most ignorant, pathetic and idiotic comments anyone has ever posted on NT, and demonstrates a complete failure to comprehend even rudimentary concepts or any understanding of how the Supreme Court has put its thumb on the scale of justice in favor of Trump.
I wonder why Trump is CHOOSING to spend his days in court?
Heck, if it was me, I would say FO to them and do something else more productive!
trump more productive in jail? I don't think any jail commissaries stock lip balm or tic tacs. oh wait, never mind...
It doesn't seem like he is above the law, I haven't seen the supreme court overrule a single charge, have you?
Because under New York law if Trump fails to appear in court for his criminal trial without the court's permission he would be considered a bail jumper, the judge would issue a bench warrant and he would be ARRESTED and could be put in JAIL.
A perfect example of what this seed was warning about.
The most ignorant, inflammatory ideas suck up all the oxygen in these progressive bubbles and statements like this are the result.
Comment 3.1.12 is typical reactionary propaganda totally divorced from reality.
Thus proving that Trump, despite many silly claims otherwise, is NOT above the law, a point made by many and disputed by a few very loudly.
thanks for providing your expertise in proving us right!
Anyone with an understanding of the facts and circumstances of Trump's situation recognizes that he has been provided special treatment in many instances, has not been held to the same standards as other citizens, and has been elevated above the law. To pretend otherwise is delusional.
Expert opinion has proven conclusively that your position is wrong.
anyone with an understanding of the facts can see how ludicrous it is to claim Trump is above the law while under multiple indictments and sitting in a courtroom.
Absolutely. The NY DA is charging him with 34 felonies arising out of, at worst, a single misdemeanor while ignoring Democratic politicians who committed the same "crime".
The trials are all obviously fake news since we have it on good Authority that Trump is above the law.
I can't imagine why ginni, I mean clarence, hasn't recused himself.
he'd have to give back his RV, no more free luxury vacations, and his mom would get evicted...
I'm betting ginni services them all - Crowe, everyone, everyone rides the ginni train.
Most wonder why he would even be asked to.
Why are you trying to imply that is something I wrote when it is just your comment?
That is dishonest.
This case shouldn't have even been charged, let alone brought to trial, but lefties and Trump haters never seem to learn.
Just one honest juror can pretty much hang the verdict. Even if Trump is convicted, he certainly won't be jailed for such a trivial "crime", but will be free to campaign, having won even more sympathy votes. Trump would appeal of course, and the appeal would not be heard before election day. People have pretty much decided how they are going to vote, so all these trials won't have much effect on the election results.
I have no interest in this case. I care about the Jan 6th case.
My point is that Trump clearly is being catered to.
I care about the document case. It's much more clear and easier to prove the criminal charges.
I read this morning the prosecutor told the judge Trump wanted to be jailed for political reasons. I don't agree, but it also wouldn't surprise me.
I do too, but in terms of precedent (bad precedent) the Jan 6th case is IMO far more important.
Hard to say. I doubt Trump wants to go to jail. I also doubt Trump is capable of keeping his mouth shut.
Jailing a former PotUS and the presumptive nominee of the GOP would be, at the very least, a shitstorm.
Bring it. Let's get past the shitstorm to the fragrant aftermath.
Our system does not have the will to do that.
Further, I am not sure we fully understand the level to which Trump supporters will go.
the ones that go too far won't be going home...
as an old white guy, I'm more afraid of being mistaken for a trump supporter if the shit hits the fan.
the fucking moron who cannot keep his big fat mouth shut just violated the gag order yet again
saying Judge Merchan is engaging in election interference
funny that's what his cult is saying also
Our system is not omniscient and did not foresee someone behaving as Trump has: in absolute bad faith. Quite possibly it is also the people in the system standing timidly and saying, "Please, Sir. May I have another?" while he rode rough-shod over precedent and "proper" behavior. He will not stop of his own free will.
I am sorry, but it is precisely that attitude that has held off the people who would stand up to Trump and what he counts on. He is a bully. His actions show malice and contempt for anyone who does not support him. We cannot worry how far Trump supporters will go.
Or, more tritely: You can't vote from jail, can you?
Are liberals so biased as to make assumptions based on your color and age?
Well, if you have to ask...................
Yeah, but I am explaining why I do not think Trump will be jailed. I am not arguing why he should not be jailed.
I understood that.
this doesnt even qualify as a slap on the wrist
I think that his PAC will pay the fine.
Exactly, trump never pays his own bills.
It’s a simple philosophy:
What’s yours is mine
and what’s mine is my own.
I think that Trump is trying to play the judge.
He's daring Judge Merchan, if he isn't jailed, he will show how he stands up for himself against the establishment.
If jailed, he will play the martyr, going to jail for freedom of speech.
If Merchan jailed him for contempt, I imagine they would use a holding cell in the court house and the Secret Service will have to serve with him.
no secret service needed for a concrete room with a locking steel door that's missing the interior door handle. might be a bit difficult to get a bucket of chicken thru that door slot though ...
I’m sure that they will really appreciate your security requirements assessment.