Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal trial in NYC, once again held Trump in contempt on Monday for a 10th time for violating a gag order; Merchan suggests jail could be next.
From NEWSMAX:
Justice Juan Merchan said the $1,000 fines he has imposed so far do not seem to be deterring Trump from violating the gag order, which prohibits him from making public comments about jurors, witnesses and families of the judge and prosecutors if the statements mean to interfere with the case.
Merchan said jail time would be a last resort and one that he was trying to avoid at all costs. But he said Trump’s “continued, wilful” violations of the gag order amounted to a “direct attack on the rule of law.”
“I do not want to impose a jail sanction and have done everything I can to avoid doing so. But I will if necessary,” Merchan said from the bench in the absence of the jury.
Merchan said he considered jail time a “truly the last resort” for many reasons, including the disruption to the trial, political implications of jailing a leading presidential candidate ahead of an election and the extraordinary security challenges of incarcerating an ex-president with a lifetime Secret Service detail.
Trump was previously fined $9,000 for violating the gag order.
More over at NEWSMAX:
BREAKING NEWS: The judge overseeing Donald Trump's criminal trial said he would hold the former president in contempt of court for a 10th time for violating a gag order and said he would consider jailing him for further violations. MORE: https://t.co/MdyO0ohZKR pic.twitter.com/1V0f6RQrlD
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) May 6, 2024
