Prosecutors asked the judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial on Tuesday to fine the former U.S. president $10,000 for violating a gag order that prevents him from criticizing witnesses and others involved in the case.
As Trump watched from the defense table, New York prosecutor Christopher Conroy cited posts from the former president’s Truth Social platform that he said violated the gag order.
“Defendant has violated this order repeatedly and hasn’t stopped,” Conroy told Justice Juan Merchan. “The court should now hold him in contempt.”
Conroy pointed to an April 10 post that called porn star Stormy Daniels and his former lawyer Michael Cohen “sleazebags.” Both are expected to testify in the trial. Conroy said other posts led to media coverage that prompted a juror last week to withdraw over privacy concerns.
“He knows what he’s not allowed to do and he does it anyway,” Conroy said. “His disobedience of the order is willful. It’s intentional.”
Merchan could opt to fine Trump $1,000 for each of those violations, as prosecutors have requested.
Prosecutors have also asked Merchan to remind Trump he may face more severe consequences if he keeps violating the order. The law permits the judge to send Trump to jail for up to 30 days in what would be a dramatic twist to the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president.
The judge’s gag order prevents Trump from publicly criticizing witnesses, court officials and their relatives. Trump has said it is a violation of his constitutional free speech rights.
Trump was charged by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg with falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment shortly before the 2016 U.S. election to buy the silence of Daniels about a sexual encounter she has said they had in 2006. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies such an encounter took place.
