8mo ago

Trump hush-money trial judge signals he may fine him again over gag order

www.reuters.com /world/us/trump-hush-money-trial-judge-weigh-more-fines-defying-gag-order-2024-05-02/

The judge overseeing Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial on Thursday signaled he might impose more fines on the former U.S. president for violating a gag order that prohibits him from talking about witnesses and jurors.

Justice Juan Merchan challenged a defense assertion that Trump did not violate the gag order when he said the Manhattan jury in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president was picked from a heavily Democratic area. “I’m making an argument that he didn’t,” Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told the judge.

“Well I’m not agreeing with that argument,” Merchan responded without saying whether or when he would impose a fine.

Prosecutors are asking Merchan to fine Trump $4,000 for violating the gag order four times last week. In one instance, the Republican Trump said in a TV interview that "that jury was picked so fast - 95% Democrats. The area's mostly all Democrat."

32 comments

the guy just lost 500 million ... how the fuck can anyone look at these rich fucks with a serious face and fine them a few thousand? they have to know the fines are beyond useless. its a joke.
- $1000 per instance of contempt is the maximum fine by statute (which yes, means it only punishes the poor). Its possible to be jailed as well, but I think the judge doesn't want to jump to that too eagerly given the circumstances.
  
  How many warnings before it's okay to jail him? I want a number. Not from you because I know you're just spitting facts, but I just want somebody to draw a fucking line in the sand now so we can jail him when he crosses it. Because this is what, 12 counts of contempt he's been fined for? 13? How many times does the average person get fined for this before getting jailed?
  Merchan is going way too fucking easy on the orange shit stain.
- The law specifically sets the fine at max $1000 per offence. The judge doesn't have the authority to set higher fines.
  
  But he was already fined once, the judge can absolutely escalate to jail time now... But Trump is untouchable apparently, so he keeps imposing meaningless fines
  
  This is simply half true.
  The judge can jail trump.
- He didn’t lose $500M, although his bond insurer probably lost $175M. If he loses appeal, he’ll be on the hook for the difference, and never make good on the bond repayment.
  
  that bond is invalid, they are going to take properties worth the 500m minus whatever cash he can scrounge up

I bet he would ease up a bit if he was thrown in jail for a night.
- I bet people would give him even more money if they stuck his ass in jail.
  
  But he'd still have to sit in jail right?
  I don't care if he gets 1 billion in donations if he gets to experience consequences for once.

Just put him in the clink to cool off for 72 hours.
- Just take away his phone. He'll be in hell. He posted at 4 am that Sleepy Joe was asleep.
  
  Right? I'm ridin with Biden, despite the genocide.
- The reason the judge isn't going gung ho, is because he has to escalate the consequences. You can't just go full force or you risk the trial
  
  This is utter nonsense. Judges can enforce their courts. Period.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/secret-services-prepares-potential-trump-contempt-order-hush/story?id=109542824
Even his detail is thinking he's going to be detained at some point because of his dumbass legal moves.

"the jurors were picked from a heavily democratic area"
That's... how things are supposed to work

32 comments