Lawyers for the Manhattan district attorney told the judge presiding over Donald Trump’s criminal hush money case in a hearing Tuesday morning that they will hold the former president in contempt for repeatedly violating a limited gag order in the case. I plan to persuade him to ask.
Prosecutors argued that Trump violated a limited gag order on at least 10 occasions this month that prohibits him from speaking about witnesses, jurors or attorneys in the case other than Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. They asked Judge Juan Melchan to hold Mr. Trump in contempt of court and fine him $10,000.
“The defendant has demonstrated a willingness to ignore orders and has attacked witnesses in cases in the past,” Prosecutor Christopher Conroy told Marchan last week. “We ask the court to remind the defendant that further violations of the court’s orders may result in imprisonment.”
The former president was charged with a felony in New York for falsifying business records to conceal reimbursement for hush money paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels by then-lawyer Michael Cohen to improve his chances of winning in the 2016 presidential election. is under trial. .
Prosecutors this month said Trump made seven social media posts that referred to people believed to be Cohen or Daniels, two instances in which his campaign website reposted information about Cohen, and two instances in which Trump “hidden”. He highlighted one case in which he suggested that “liberal activists” were trying to infiltrate the case. jury.
Five of the 10 alleged violations involved Trump or his campaign reposting articles in the New York Post suggesting the case relied on testimony from “serial perjurer” Michael Cohen. It is something.
“We want the court to remind Mr. Trump that he is a criminal defendant, subject to the same oversight of the court as any other criminal defendant, and that, among other things, this court has a duty to preserve the integrity of criminal justice. “We think it’s important to remind people of the system,” Conroy said.
Last Monday, prosecutors initially sought a $3,000 fine and a contempt finding for flagging three social media posts by President Trump. By Thursday, prosecutors had identified seven more violations, including one that appeared to be posted by Trump from inside the courtroom during his trial.
“It’s ridiculous. It has to stop,” Conroy said.
Prosecutors said they plan to seek monetary penalties at Tuesday’s hearing, but if Trump continues to intentionally violate the order, harsher penalties, including possible prison time, could be imposed. It also retains its sexuality.
Trump’s lawyers have argued that prosecutors have not proven that the posts intentionally violated the gag order and told Marchand that the former president was defending himself from attack by a possible witness. insisted.
Defense attorney Todd Blanche said last week that “President Trump is not targeting individuals.” “He is responding to repeated vile attacks by these witnesses.”
The defense team also argued that the gag order, which prohibits Trump from speaking publicly about potential witnesses related to his participation in the case, is vague and allows Trump to make “political” statements. insisted. He also argued that at least four of the alleged violations should be thrown out because they were reposts of the same statement.
“The gag order did not prohibit President Trump from responding to political attacks, and we believe that is what President Trump is doing with these posts,” defense attorney Emile Bove said last week. I will insist.”
Trump has been subject to two other gag orders in his own cases, including a limited gag order in a New York civil fraud case that he twice violated, and a judge overseeing a federal election interference case. This includes another gag order imposed by the. In both cases, the Court of Appeals upheld the constitutionality of the gag orders.
In recent weeks, Trump has compared himself to Nelson Mandela when discussing a violation of a gag order in a New York criminal case, and today prosecutors are hoping to rein in Trump’s attacks on witnesses. A public hearing is likely.
President Trump earlier said in a social media post: “If this partisan hacker wants to ‘condemn’ me by speaking openly and plainly the truth, I’m happy to be a modern-day Nelson Mandela. It will be my great honor.” Month.
The hearing also comes as the stakes in the criminal trial rise as jurors hear testimony from the first witness called by the Manhattan district attorney. Prosecutors argued that some of Trump’s posts about Cohen and Daniels could be “interpreted as an attempt to intimidate potential witnesses.”
Trump was also reprimanded by Marchand for hearing “muttering” while prospective jurors were talking during jury selection last week, which Marchand interpreted as intimidating.
Judge Machan said: “He was speaking to the jury and I will not tolerate that. There will be no intimidation of jurors in this court. I want to make that clear.”
Mr. Trump appeared unfazed by the impending contempt hearing, but he continued his attacks on Mr. Cohen in remarks after the hearing on Monday.
President Trump said, “When are we going to look into all the lies that Cohen told in his last trial? He was caught lying in his last trial. He was caught lying. At all. That’s a lie.”