The judge in Donald Trump’s criminal trial fined him $1,000 and held him in contempt of court for the 10th time on Monday for violating a gag order, warning that further violations could result in jail time for the former president.
Justice Juan Merchan stated that the previous nine fines of $1,000 each did not appear to deter Trump from breaking the order, which prohibits him from publicly discussing jurors and witnesses in his trial.
“I do not want to impose a jail sanction and have done everything I can to avoid doing so. But I will if necessary,” Merchan said at the beginning of the trial’s 12th day.
Imprisoning Trump would be an unprecedented move in this historic trial, which revolves around a hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels in the final weeks of the 2016 election.
Following the ruling, jurors heard testimony from former Trump employees that could strengthen prosecutors’ argument that Trump falsified business records to cover up the payment.
Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies any wrongdoing.
Merchan stressed that jail time would be a last resort, as it could disrupt the trial, pose security challenges, and complicate the 2024 presidential election, in which Trump seeks to regain the White House from Democratic President Joe Biden.
However, the judge emphasized that Trump’s “continued, willful” violations of the gag order constitute a “direct attack on the rule of law.”
The 10th $1,000 fine was imposed on Monday for a broadcast interview on April 22 in which Trump commented on the composition of the jury, stating, “That jury was picked so fast – 95% Democrats. The area’s mostly all Democrat.”
While other statements flagged by prosecutors mentioning witnesses Michael Cohen and David Pecker did not violate the gag order, Trump’s comments on the jury did.
The order prohibits Trump from making statements about jurors, witnesses, and families of the judge and prosecutors if meant to interfere with the case. Violations can result in fines of up to $1,000 or jail time of up to 30 days.
Last week, Merchan fined Trump $9,000 for nine social media posts that violated the gag order.
Trump has frequently complained that the gag order limits his ability to communicate with voters in his campaign for the White House.
Prosecutors later presented jurors with business records documenting payments totaling $420,000 from Trump to Cohen, his former fixer and personal lawyer. These payments, listed as legal fees, were intended to reimburse Cohen for the $130,000 payment to Daniels.
The payments were made on a monthly basis after Trump won the election, with most checks signed by Trump personally. Prosecutors argue that these payments, disguised as legal fees, were actually reimbursements for the hush money payment to Daniels, which they claim corrupted the 2016 election.
The trial is ongoing, and the main players, including Cohen and Daniels, have yet to testify.
