(USNewsMag.com) – Former President Donald Trump was fined another $1,000 on May 6th after Judge Juan Merchan ruled Trump had again violated the gag order imposed on him by Merchan in his hush money trial.
Merchan warned Trump that if he violates the gag order again, he could receive jail time, noting that “the $1,000 fines are not serving as a deterrent.” He called Trump the “former president and possibly the next president,” adding that jail is the “last resort” he would want to consider. However, he stated that he cannot allow Trump’s “direct attack on the rule of law” to continue.
Before the trial began, Merchan imposed a gag order on Trump, which states Trump cannot make public statements about witnesses, jurors, prosecutors, or their families, expanding the gag order to include the family of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Merchan’s family.
Trump and his attorneys have stated that the gag order violates Trump’s First Amendment rights and the constitutional rights of his supporters.
The latest fine stems from an April 22nd interview on Real America’s Voice where Trump criticized the jury selection in the case, claiming the jury is composed of “95% Democrats.” He called it “a very unfair situation,” adding that New York is “mostly all Democrat.”
This is the second time since the trial began in April that the judge has fined Trump for violating the gag order. Trump was fined $9,000 after Merchan ruled that he had committed nine violations by posting about potential witnesses and the jury on social media.
After his day in court on May 6th, Trump commented on Merchan’s ruling, saying the “Constitution is much more important than jail,” adding that he would “give that sacrifice any day.”
Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records before the 2016 election to allegedly cover up $130,000 paid to former adult film star Stormy Daniels by his then-lawyer Michael Cohen.
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