Trump fined $5k for violating gag order
By Nidz Godino
"Make no mistake… future violations, whether intentional or unintentional, will subject violator to far more severe sanctions," Judge Arthur Engoron ordered former United States president Donald Trump's civil fraud trial fine $5,000 for not complying with partial gag order and threatened him with possible jail time for future violations.
Engoron ordered 77-year-old Trump to pay fine within next 10 days to New York Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection.
"These may include, but are not limited to, steeper financial penalties, holding Donald Trump in contempt of court, and possibly imprisoning him pursuant to New York Judiciary Law," judge stressed.
Engoron slapped limited gag order on former president on October 3,2023 after he insulted judge's principal law clerk in social media post on his Truth Social platform.
Offending post was removed from Truth Social same day, but judge complained in his filing that it remained on Trump 2024 campaign website for 17 days, until court asked it be taken down.
Engoron said Trump's lawyers told him violation of gag order was "inadvertent."
"Giving defendant benefit of the doubt, he still violated gag order, current overheated climate, incendiary untruths can, and in same cases already have, led to serious physical harm, and worse, " judge said.
On October 3, as Trump sat at defense table, Engoron was issuing partial gag order "forbidding all parties from posting, emailing or speaking publicly about any of my staff."
Trump, frontrunner for 2024 Republican presidential nomination, and his two eldest sons are accused in New York case of inflating value of real estate assets of Trump Organization to receive more favorable bank loans and insurance terms.
Trump has personally attacked judge on numerous occasions, calling him "Trump-hating judge," but Engoron, in his verbal gag order, only ordered halt to attacks on his court staff.
Federal judge set to preside over Trump's trial for conspiring to overturn 2020 presidential election also imposed partial gag order on the former president.
US District Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered Trump not to publicly attack prosecutors, court staff or potential witnesses ahead of trial scheduled to begin in Washington in March 2024.
Chutkan temporarily lifted her narrow gag order, giving Trump's legal team time to prove why former president's comments should not face restrictions as his case heads toward trial.
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