Trump ‘hush money’ trial resumes with hearing on whether former president violated judge’s gag order
The Donald Trump “hush money” trial will resume Tuesday with a hearing on whether he should be held in contempt over social media posts that prosecutors argue violated a gag order.
The order was issued earlier this month by New York state Judge Juan Merchan and prohibits the former president and presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee from publicly attacking witnesses and jurors.
The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is seeking the maximum $1,000 fine for each of the 10 Truth Social posts it says violated the gag order and another one telling Trump to remove the posts from his social media platform, according to NBCNews.com.
Bragg’s office also wants Merchan to warn Trump that any future violations puts him at risk of going to jail for as long as 30 days.
Trump attorney Todd Blanche says his client hasn’t violated the April 1 order.
Whether Merchan will rule immediately on the prosecution’s motion is unclear, NBCNews also reports.
Trump, speaking to the press before he entered the courtroom, did not address the gag order or the upcoming hearing, but called attention to the Republican primary in Pennsylvania, lamented the inability for pro-Trump protestors to gather outside the courthouse, and criticized President Biden for his “abandon[ing]” Israel.
