Former President Donald Trump could face incarceration over the restricting gag order in his New York “hush money” case according to a ruling by Judge Juan Merchan. The judge found Trump in contempt for the tenth time and imposed a $1,000 fine warning that future violations could result in jail time.
Merchan’s latest decision on Monday stems from alleged violations regarding statements Trump made about key witnesses Michael Cohen and David Pecker as well as comments about the jury.
Trump’s statement today.
The gag order is not just unconstitutional.
It is the epitome of election interference. pic.twitter.com/OaT0fRAtAM
— Viva Frei (@thevivafrei) May 7, 2024
While the judge disagreed with the prosecution on the Cohen and Pecker statements he said Trump’s remarks about the jury in an April 22 interview called into question the integrity and legitimacy of the proceedings and raised concerns about the safety of the jurors and their loved ones.
In the interview, Trump said “The jury was picked so fast — 95% Democrats. The area’s mostly all Democrat. You think of it as a — just a purely Democrat area. It’s a very unfair situation that I can tell you.”
Merchan has ordered Trump to pay the maximum $1,000 fine and remove an “offending statement” from his Truth Social account. The judge noted that such penalties aren’t deterring Trump and that incarceration may be the next step for future violations “if appropriate and warranted.”
The ruling comes as trial testimony continues in the case where Trump is accused of falsifying business records related to alleged hush money payments.
