Monday, May 6, 2024 - The judge presiding over Donald Trump’s hush money trial has fined him $1,000 for violating his gag order and sternly warned the former president that additional violation could result in jail time.
The fine marks the second sanction for Trump for
inflammatory comments about witnesses since the start of the trial last month.
He was fined $9,000 last week for nine violations.
Judge Juan M. Merchan warned Monday, May 6, that additional
gag order violations could potentially result in jail time, though he said that
was “the last thing I want to do.”
The trial enters its third week of testimony Monday with
prosecutors building toward their star witness, Michael Cohen, Trump’s former
lawyer and personal fixer who pleaded guilty to federal charges related to the
hush money payments.
Cohen is expected to undergo a bruising cross-examination
from defense attorneys seeking to undermine his credibility with jurors.
Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records
in connection with payments made to stifle potentially embarrassing stories.
Prosecutors say Trump’s company, the Trump Organization,
reimbursed Cohen for payments to porn actor Stormy Daniels and gave Cohen
bonuses and extra payments.
Prosecutors allege that those transactions were falsely
logged in company records as legal expenses.
Trump has pleaded not guilty and denied sexual encounters
with any of the women, as well as any wrongdoing.
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