Donald Trump Fined $9,000 for Violating Gag Order in Hush Money Trial

Former President Donald Trump has been fined $9,000 by a judge for violating a gag order in his New York criminal hush money trial involving an alleged $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Judge Juan Merchan held Trump in contempt on Tuesday, determining that he violated the order prohibiting him from making public statements about witnesses and jurors nine times.

Prosecutors had accused Trump of violating the gag order at least 10 times, including posts referring to expected witnesses as "sleaze bags." Trump's lawyers argued he was responding to "political attacks," but the judge said they could not provide examples. The judge cautioned Trump that the court will not tolerate continued violations of its orders and raised the possibility of jail time if necessary.

Why this matters: This marks the first time a former U.S. president has been tried on criminal charges. The collision of Trump's legal cases highlights the challenges he faces as he campaigns for the White House in 2024 while his legal matters intensify.

The trial, which began on April 22, focuses on charges that Trump falsified business records to conceal the hush money payment to Daniels, who was threatening to go public with her story about an alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Trump. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts and denies having sex with Daniels.

Testimony in the trial has included details about Trump's involvement in the payment and efforts by the National Enquirer to catch and kill damaging information about him. Key witnesses have included former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, Trump's longtime executive assistant Rhona Graff, and Michael Cohen's banker Gary Farro.

Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney who made the payment to Daniels, is expected to be a central witness in the case. Prosecutors allege that Trump and his associates participated in an illegal scheme to influence the 2016 presidential campaign by burying negative stories.

The trial is expected to last at least another month, and Trump has expressed frustration with the process. "This is a disgraceful case," Trump said outside the courthouse. "The country is going to hell while I'm in court."

Trump was allowed to attend his son's high school graduation on May 17, as the trial will not be held that day. However, the judge is considering other alleged gag order violations by Trump and will hear arguments on those allegations on Thursday. If convicted, Trump could face up to four years in prison, though legal experts say a jail sentence is unlikely.

Key Takeaways

• Trump fined $9,000 for violating gag order in hush money trial
• First time a former US president is tried on criminal charges
• Trial focuses on charges of falsifying records to conceal hush money payment
• Key witnesses include Trump's ex-lawyer Cohen and National Enquirer publisher
• If convicted, Trump could face up to 4 years in prison, though unlikely