Trump fined $5,000 for social media post violating gag order in fraud trial

[Social Media]

 

A New York judge fined former US president Donald Trump $5,000 on Friday after a disparaging social media post about a key court staffer in his New York civil fraud case was allowed to linger on his campaign website after the judge ordered it deleted.

Judge Arthur Engoron avoided holding Trump in contempt, for now, but reserved the right to do so – and possibly even put him in jail – if he continued to violate a gag order barring parties in the case from personal attacks on court staff.

 

Engoron said in a written ruling that Trump was “way beyond the ‘warning’ stage”, but decided on a nominal fine because Trump’s lawyers said the website’s retention of the post was inadvertent and was a “first time violation”.

“Make no mistake: future violations, whether intentional or unintentional,” will lead to “far more severe sanctions”, including “possibly imprisoning” Trump, wrote Engoron.

The judge’s ruling came in a week when he had already warned Trump and his lawyers to behave in court. Next week Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and now a key witness in the case against Trump, will testify in court. Trump and Cohen are now bitter – and vocal – foes.

Engoron issued a gag order against Trump on the second day of the trial earlier this month after he attacked the judge’s law clerk, Allison Greenfield, in a social media post. Greenfield has been assisting Engoron throughout the trial, usually sitting next to the judge in the courtroom.

 

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[Tug]

That’s nothing next time your honor please frog March that criminal straight to jail just like you would do to anyone else 

[Chomper Higgot]

Did he ask for time to pay?

[scottiejohn]

37 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Did he ask for time to pay?

No he just demands donations to his "I am being myself" fund!