Former U.S. President Donald Trump was fined 9,000 U.S. dollars for violating a gag order nine times this month, according to an order by a New York judge on Tuesday morning, reported Xinhua.
Trump also was ordered to remove seven offending posts from his Truth Social account and two offending posts from his campaign website by Tuesday afternoon.
The court found Trump in criminal contempt for willfully disobeying its lawful mandate on nine separate occasions, said the order, signed by Juan Merchan, acting justice of the New York State Supreme Court in New York County.
The court will not tolerate continued willfull violations of its lawful orders and if necessary and appropriate under the circumstances, it will impose an incarceratory punishment, warned Merchan, who oversees the on-going trial on Trump's falsifying business records in a bid to hide hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016.
Merchan issued the gag order on March 26 barring Trump from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in the criminal trial.
The criminal trial against Trump started on April 15 and is expected to last six to eight weeks.
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
Does this mean Trump could face jail time for repeatedly violating the court’s order?
Yes, if Trump continues to defy the court’s orders, he could potentially face jail time as warned by the judge overseeing the trial.
Did Trump knowingly violate the gag order multiple times, or was it unintentional?
EmilySmith123, based on the court order, Trump was found in criminal contempt for willfully disobeying the gag order on nine separate occasions, indicating that the violations were intentional.
Do you think the fine imposed on Trump is sufficient enough to deter him from further violating the gag order?
As history has shown, financial penalties alone may not be sufficient to deter individuals like Trump from repeating their actions. It will be interesting to see if additional measures are taken to ensure compliance with the gag order in the future.
Is it common for former presidents to be fined for violating gag orders like this?
Do you think the fine imposed on Trump for breaking the silence order is sufficient or should there be stricter consequences?