In a dramatic development in the ongoing hush money trial against former President Donald Trump, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan warned that he would jail Trump if he continues to violate the court-imposed gag order.
Justice Merchan made the stern threat on Monday, May 6, 2024, after finding Trump in contempt of court for the tenth time since the trial began.
“The last thing I want to do is to put you in jail,” Merchan said during a hearing. However, he added that he would be forced to consider jail time if Trump’s violations persisted. Each contempt charge has resulted in a $1,000 fine, bringing the total amount levied against Trump to $10,000.
The judge’s warning comes amid a week of explosive testimony from Trump’s former close associates, including Hope Hicks, his longtime aide and press secretary, who shed light on the damage control efforts undertaken in the wake of the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape leak. Hicks’ emotional testimony detailed attempts to manage negative press surrounding Trump’s alleged extramarital affairs.
The current trial centers on allegations that Trump falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in 2016, shortly before the presidential election. Daniels is expected to be among the witnesses called to testify in the coming weeks.
Trump’s defense team has maintained that Trump was unaware of or uninvolved in the hush money payment to Daniels. However, testimony from Deborah Tarasoff, a former Trump Organization accountant, directly contradicted this claim. Tarasoff testified that Trump personally signed checks used to reimburse Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer who facilitated the hush money payment. Cohen himself is expected to take the stand as a key prosecution witness. Testifying for the prosecution, Tarasoff stated, “There is a reimbursement code for legal expenses,” but “these checks were not coded that way.”
The prosecution aims to establish that Trump was fully aware of and authorized the hush money payment, which was later disguised as a legal expense on the company’s books. This alleged falsification of business records forms the basis of the 34 felony counts Trump is facing.
The trial is expected to continue for at least another two weeks, with the possibility of extending longer depending on the witness testimony and the presentation of evidence.
With the judge threatening jail time for further violations of the gag order, all eyes are now on Trump and his legal team to see if they can adhere to the court’s restrictions.
