Trump could be jailed for further gag order violations, judge says

Acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan on Monday found former President Donald Trump in contempt of court and fined him $1,000. In the decision, Merchan noted that Trump had been found in contempt of court ten times and warned Trump that he would go to jail the next time he violated a gag order or any other court order.

What are the allegations in this case? Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has indicted Trump on 34 charges of falsifying business records. Bragg alleges that Trump engaged in fraud in the process of suppressing information related to an extramarital affair that could be harmful to his first presidential campaign. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

What exactly did Trump say to get fined? Trump called his former lawyer—who is now a prosecution witness, Michael Cohen—a liar on two occasions. Additionally, he said another prosecution witness, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, seemed like a nice guy, which Justice Merchan found to be a comment concealing deeper malice against Pecker. In an interview, Trump also criticized the speed with which the court conducted jury selection in his trial. Merchan said those statements questioned the legitimacy of the court and posed a threat to the jurors and their loved ones.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Carolina Lumetta and Leo Briceno’s report about Bragg’s case against Trump.