Judge Juan Merchan, overseeing the unprecedented criminal trial involving a sitting or former president in the United States, found Donald Trump in contempt of court for the tenth time on Monday due to violations of a gag order in his hush money trial.
Despite already imposing fines totaling $9,000 for nine previous violations, Merchan expressed concern that the fines alone were not deterring Trump from further violations.
He warned Trump that continued disregard for the gag order could lead to jail time, emphasizing the gravity of such a decision given Trump’s status as a former and potential future president.
Former President Donald Trump (Credits: CNN)
Merchan accused Trump of persistently and willfully ignoring the gag order, stating that he would not allow such behavior to continue unchecked. He made it clear that if jail sanctions became necessary, he would not hesitate to take that action.
The violations cited by prosecutors included Trump’s attacks on witnesses and others associated with the case in posts on his Truth Social platform. While prosecutors submitted four potential violations, Merchan agreed with them on the third one, leading to the contempt ruling.
Ex-President Donald Trump (Credits: Nikkei Asia)
Previously, Merchan had upheld nine out of ten possible violations, requiring the removal of Truth Social posts found in violation of the gag order in addition to the fines imposed. Prosecutors had not initially sought jail time for Trump.
Throughout the trial, Trump has consistently criticized the court proceedings and accused Merchan of bias, vehemently denying the charges against him.
