Trump fined $1,000 and threatened jail time for violating the no-knock order

Content of the article

NEW YORK — The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial has fined him $1,000 for violating his gag order and sternly warned the former president that further violations could lead to jail time.

The fine marks Trump's second sanction for defamation of witnesses since the trial began last month. He was fined $9,000 last week for nine violations.

Content of the article

Content of the article

Judge Juan M. Merchan warned Monday that additional violations of the probation order could result in jail time, though he said it was “my last resort.”

Prosecutors in Trump's hush money trial are moving deeper into his orbit after an insider's account of the former president's reaction to a politically damaging tweet released in the final weeks of the 2016 campaign.

Hope Hicks, a former White House official and longtime top aide, testified at the Manhattan trial, Trump's closest associate.

His testimony Friday was designed to give jurors an insider's view of a chaotic and critical period in the campaign, when a 2005 tape of Trump talking about the warrantless seizure of women became public and he and his allies tried to prevent the release of others. potentially embarrassing events. Prosecutors said the activity included hush money payments to a porn star and a Playboy model who Trump said he had sex with before entering politics.

“I'm pretty clear that I believe this is going to be a massive story and dominate the news cycle for the next few days,” Hicks said of the Access Hollywood tape, which first appeared in Washington, D.C., in October 2016. The story of the post. “It was a harmful development.”

Content of the article

Content of the article

The trial on Monday will enter the third week of testimony by prosecutors against their star witness, former Trump lawyer and personal fixer Michael Cohen, who has pleaded guilty to federal charges related to hush money payments. Cohen is expected to face tough cross-examination from defense attorneys seeking to undermine his credibility before jurors.

Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to payments made to suppress potentially embarrassing stories. According to prosecutors, Trump's company, The Trump Organization, reimbursed Cohen for payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels and gave Cohen bonuses and additional payments. Prosecutors say the transactions were falsely entered in company records as legal expenses.

Trump has pleaded not guilty and has denied having sex with any of the women, as well as any wrongdoing.

So far, jurors have heard from witnesses, including a tabloid magazine publisher and a Trump friend who bought the rights to prevent several unsavory stories about Trump from appearing, and a Los Angeles attorney who negotiated hush money deals on behalf of Daniels and the Playboy model. Karen MacDougall.

Content of the article

Trump's attorneys have tried to challenge prosecutors' theory of the case and the credibility of some witnesses. They asked questions during cross-examination about whether Trump was targeted for extortion, forced to arrange payments to prevent damaging events and avoid shame and grief for his family. Prosecutors say the payments were meant to keep him politically viable as he ran for president.

The case is one of four impeachments against Trump and the only one that will go to trial before the November election. Other serious charges accuse him of plotting to disrupt the 2020 presidential election after losing to Democrat Joe Biden and of illegally collecting classified documents after leaving the White House.

____

Tucker reported from Washington.

Content of the article