Prosecutors Urge Judge To Impose Additional Fines On Donald Trump For Gag Order Violations

deadline.com:

Donald Trump was the subject of another contempt hearing this morning in his Manhattan hush-money trial. In a repeat of an earlier courtroom debate that led to a contempt ruling and a $9,000 fine for Trump, prosecutors argued that the defendant had committed still more violations of the judge’s gag order restricting attacks on trial jurors and witnesses.

Trump has “willfully and knowingly violated the lawful order of this court,” assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy told Judge Juan Merchan, citing four more instances of Trump sounding off against witnesses and jurors.

The instance that appeared to interest Judge Merchan most was a comment by Trump to a radio show on April 23: “That jury was picked so fast—95 percent Democrats.

The area is mostly all Democrats.” Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, explained Trump’s remark by saying, “We very much believe that this is a political trial, and part of President Trump’s belief is the location of the trial.” Merchan cut Blanche off, asking, “Did he violate the gag order?” Blanche replied that he was making an argument that Trump did not violate the gag order and laying the foundation for his argument. “I’m not accepting your argument,” Merchan snapped.