Trump Fined $5,000 for Violating Gag Order in NY Fraud Trial – The New York Times
The judge presiding over the civil fraud trial of Donald J. Trump fined the former president $5,000 on Friday for a blatant violation of a gag order imposed this month.
The judge, Arthur F. Engoron, stopped short of holding Mr. Trump in contempt but warned that the former president still could face harsher punishments, even jail time, if he ran afoul of the order again.
In the trials opening days, Justice Engoron had barred Mr. Trump from attacking his court staff after the former president posted a picture on social media of Justice Engorons law clerk, Allison Greenfield, with Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader. Mr. Trump labeled Ms. Greenfield Schumers girlfriend and said she was running this case against me.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Schumer this month called the social media post ridiculous, absurd, and false, adding that the senator did not know Ms. Greenfield.
Mr. Trumps post was removed from his social media platform, Truth Social, on Oct. 3, the day Justice Engoron imposed the gag order, but a copy of the post remained visible on his campaign website.
The post was finally removed from the website around 10 p.m. on Thursday, after Justice Engoron learned of it and contacted Mr. Trumps legal team. A lawyer for Mr. Trump, Christopher M. Kise, said in court on Friday that the failure to remove the post sooner was inadvertent. He apologized on behalf of Mr. Trump.
In a new order on Friday, Justice Engoron said he had imposed only a nominal $5,000 fine because it was Mr. Trumps first violation and an unintentional error, but he warned that additional infractions would merit harsher punishments.
Make no mistake: future violations, whether intentional or unintentional, will subject the violator to far more severe sanctions, Justice Engoron wrote. He said possible punishments included steeper fines, holding Mr. Trump in contempt of court and possibly imprisoning him.
The judge added that, In the current overheated climate, incendiary untruths can, and in some cases already have, led to serious physical harm, and worse.
Mr. Trump, who has frequently attacked judges, prosecutors and witnesses in the civil and criminal cases against him, is subject to limitations on his speech not only in the Manhattan fraud case, but a federal case in which he is accused of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
The judges overseeing the cases must strike a balance between respecting the First Amendment rights of a man seeking the White House again and keeping their courts orderly and dignified.
They also must consider what would be an effective punishment and deterrent for a man who estimates his net worth in the billions.
In the gag order, Justice Engoron had said that personal attacks on his staff were unacceptable and that he would not tolerate them under any circumstances.
He forbade any posts, emails or public remarks about his staff members, adding that serious punishments would follow were he disobeyed.
Both his gag order and the one levied by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, the federal judge in Washington overseeing the election case, leave Mr. Trump wide ambit for comment.
Judge Chutkans written order, put on hold Friday for more arguments, prevents Mr. Trump from making public comments targeting her staff, the special counsel Jack Smith and his employees, and any reasonably foreseeable witnesses.
But Mr. Trump remains free to criticize his political opponents, the judges themselves and an American justice system he has described as rigged against him.
Mr. Trump has also taken aim at Letitia James, the New York attorney general, who brought the civil fraud case against him, his adult sons and their family business.
Ms. James has accused them of fraudulently inflating Mr. Trumps net worth to obtain favorable loans from banks. The trial will continue next week with the testimony of Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trumps former fixer turned nemesis.
Mr. Trump himself was absent from the proceedings on Friday, but he attended the trial earlier in the week, using the camera-lined hallway outside the courtroom to issue periodic statements on his legal cases and political matters.
In person, he did not come close to violating Justice Engorons order.
Originally posted here:
Trump Fined $5,000 for Violating Gag Order in NY Fraud Trial - The New York Times
- Trump can still serve as president if he's convicted of a crime - The Washington Post - The Washington Post - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- NY AG Letitia James is not done with Donald Trump - Business Insider - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Opinion | What Worries Me Most About a Trump Presidency - The New York Times - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Joe Biden is now beating Donald Trump in the majority of polls - Newsweek - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Election Live Updates: Abortion and Inflation Raise Issues for Biden and Trump - The New York Times - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Sebastian Stan Transforms Into Young Donald Trump in The Apprentice First Look - Variety - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Donald Trump could face prison time if he is convicted in upcoming NY hush money trial - USA TODAY - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Donald Trump's Stock Has Lost More Than Half Its Value Since Going Public - Newsweek - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Donald Trump booted from prestigious list of billionaires after Truth Social parent's swan dive - Fortune - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Donald Trump Movie The Apprentice to Premiere at Cannes: First Look and What We Know - Hollywood Reporter - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Election Updates: Trump says he would not sign a federal abortion ban if elected. - The New York Times - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Trump is first ex-U.S. president on trial, but other nations have done it - The Washington Post - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- 'The Apprentice' First Look: Sebastian Stan Is a Young Donald Trump Building His Empire - IndieWire - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Johnson to Join Trump at Mar-a-Lago for 'Election Integrity' Announcement - The New York Times - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Stormy Daniels, Donald Trump, and the start of the hush money trial podcast - The Guardian - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Trump fails to delay N.Y. criminal trial for a third time this week - The Washington Post - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Why Biden Raising More Money Than Trump for the 2024 Election Matters - The New York Times - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- How Voters Describe the 2024 Election in One Word - The New York Times - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Donald Trump biopic and new films by Yorgos Lanthimos and Andrea Arnold to premiere at Cannes - The Guardian - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- What Is Trumps Weakness? Biden Seizes on Abortion to Attack GOP Rival - Bloomberg - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Fox News Hosts Argue Over Donald Trump Going To Prison - Newsweek - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Opinion | Impromptu podcast: Columnists on presidential campaign 2024 - The Washington Post - The Washington Post - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- A total eclipse of Donald Trump: First felony trial could finally humble him - Salon - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- 'Donald Trump did this': New Biden abortion ad features a woman who says she almost died because of the Texas ban - NBC News - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Donald Trump Backed Over Bond Reduction - Newsweek - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Election 2024 latest news: Biden campaign keeps focus on abortion with new Arizona ad buy - The Washington Post - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Trump campaign changes election rules to try to win in 2024 - The Week - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Donald Trumps Hush-Money Trial: What to Know - TIME - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Opinion | How the Pro-Life Movements Deal With Trump Made America More Pro-Choice - The New York Times - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- The Apprentice: First Look At Sebastian Stan As Donald Trump & Jeremy Strong As Roy Cohn In Cannes Competition Film - Deadline - April 11th, 2024 [April 11th, 2024]
- Donald Trump Threatens to Start a Global Protection Racket - The Nation - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Trump's New York hush-money case will start March 25. It's the first of his criminal trials - The Associated Press - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Trump's Threat to NATO Is the Scariest Kind of Gaffe: It's Real - The New Yorker - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- N.Y. judge orders Trump and executives to pay $364 million in civil fraud case - NPR - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- How will Donald Trump pay the $438m he owes in penalties from civil trials? - The Guardian US - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Donald Trump ordered to pay $354 million in New York real estate fraud lawsuit - USA TODAY - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Donald Trump NY case ruling: Judge rules Donald Trump, Eric and Don Jr. must pay $354 million in New York civil fraud trial - WLS-TV - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Donald Trump and associates ordered to pay $364mn in New York fraud case - Financial Times - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Donald Trump ordered to pay over $350m in New York financial fraud case - The Guardian US - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Who Is Arthur Engoron, the Judge Who Penalized Donald Trump? - The New York Times - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- The Civil Fraud Ruling on Donald Trump, Annotated - The New York Times - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Donald Trump pivots Laura Ingraham town hall from Spartanburg to Greenville - Greenville News - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Trump's Harsh Punishment Was Made Possible by This New York Law - The New York Times - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Judge rules Donald Trump owes over $350M in civil fraud trial, issues 3-year ban from doing business in New York - WABC-TV - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Trump ordered to pay over $350M for business fraud - POLITICO - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- After Report of Navalny Death, Haley Attacks Trump Over Past Praise for Putin - The New York Times - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Why Don Jr. and Eric Are in Trouble in the New Trump Rulingand Ivanka Is Not - Slate - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Donald Trump Hit With $355M Fraud Trial Judgment; Banned From Doing Business In New York For Years - Deadline - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Trump has been ordered to pay $447 million in damages. Can he afford it? - Vox.com - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- For Trump, Friday's verdict is not just business. It's personal. - POLITICO - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- READ: The Bombshell Verdict Ordering Trump to Pay $364 Million - The Daily Beast - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- No, Donald Trump is not Americas Navalny - The Washington Post - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Toby Keith's 'Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue' lives on in MAGA country - NPR - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Donald Trump ordered to pay $355M, barred from NY business in civil fraud case - New York Post - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Donald Trump civil fraud ruling: The $355 million fine and business restrictions could end the Trump organization as ... - Slate - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Highlights From a Key Hearing in Trump's Manhattan Criminal Case - The New York Times - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Read the full ruling from Judge Engoron in Trump's civil fraud trial - The Washington Post - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Eric, Donald Trump Jr. face weaker penalties in fraud trial verdict - Business Insider - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- How Donald Trump is making the GOP the party of Putin - MSNBC - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Trump's Bank Fraud Trial Ends With $364 Million Gut Punch - The Daily Beast - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Donald Trump faces many signs of potential political trouble; here are a few of them - USA TODAY - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Mary Trump Makes Bad Prediction for Donald Trump - Newsweek - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Where is Donald Trump facing 14th Amendment challenges? - Yahoo News - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Something Stinks: Why #TrumpSmells Is Trending On X - Yahoo Entertainment - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- GOP senators who voted to acquit Trump insist they dont regret it - The Hill - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Donald Trump says he is 'not a student of Hitler,' won't rule as a dictator - ABC News - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Donald Trump calls on court to block federal 2020 election charges - The Columbus Dispatch - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Lindsey Graham warns Donald Trump could lose in 2024 if he focuses on 2020 election - USA TODAY - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Opinion | 'Donald Trump Is No Moderate' - The New York Times - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- John Roberts, Donald Trump and the ghosts of Bush v. Gore - POLITICO - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- How the 14th Amendment could block Donald Trump from becoming president - WBUR News - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Howey: Donald Trump and the insurrection fallout - Courier & Press - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Donald Trump's history with Adolf Hitler and his Nazi writings: ANALYSIS - ABC News - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Trump asks appeals court to toss election interference case, arguing that he's immune - NPR - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Colorado Trump ruling leads to rise in violent online rhetoric - NPR - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Trump claims he's never read Hitler's 'Mein Kampf,' as he doubles down on anti-immigrant phrase - ABC News - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- GOP Floats Tucker Carlson As Donald Trump's 2024 Vice President Pick - The Daily Beast - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Trump allies and MAGA luminaries move to kill off the Haley-for-VP buzz - POLITICO - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Donald Trump said an ad used AI to make him look bad. The clips are real. - Tampa Bay Times - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Trump Asks Appeals Court to Toss Election Case on Immunity Grounds - The New York Times - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]