The Latest | Trump could see more gag order sanctions as 10th day of hush money trial gets underway
NEW YORK — Donald Trump could face more sanctions over a new round of potential gag order violations when testimony in his hush money trial resumes Thursday morning.
Judge Juan M. Merchan will hold a hearing on four more online posts that prosecutors say violate the court’s mandate barring the former president from speaking publicly about jurors or key witnesses in the case. Merchan found Trump in contempt of court on Tuesday, fining him $9,000 for nine online posts and threatening him with jail time if he continued to violate the silence order.
It is unclear when Merchan could decide on the new sanctions request. The trial enters its tenth day.
Keith Davidson is expected to return to the stand after dominating testimony Tuesday, outlining how he negotiated hush-money deals with the National Enquirer and Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, on behalf of former Playboy model Karen McDougal and porn actor Stormy Daniels .
Prosecutors have said Trump and others carried out a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election by buying and burying salacious stories that could harm his campaign.
Trump is accused of falsifying internal company records to cover up hush money payments β including $130,000 given by Cohen to Daniels β and instead recording them as legal fees.
He has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying company records.
The case is the first-ever criminal trial of a former US president and the first of four prosecutions against Trump to reach a jury.
Currently:
β Key players: who’s who in Donald Trump’s hush-money criminal trial
β The hush money case is just one of Trump’s lawsuits. Check out the others here
β Read the judge’s full order on Donald Trump’s gag order violations
β Trump calls judge ‘thug’ after being warned of jail time if he violates silence order
Here’s the latest:
The trial is expected to last another month or more, with jurors hearing testimony four days a week. Donald Trump β who has portrayed the prosecution as an attempt to damage his 2024 campaign β has to be there, much to his dismay.
βThey don’t want me on the campaign trail,β he said Tuesday.
The judge said Tuesday that there will be no court on May 17 so Trump can attend his son Barron’s graduation ceremony.
The court also will not meet on May 24 to accommodate a juror who has a flight that morning, the judge said. This means the trial will be paused for four straight days over Memorial Day weekend and will resume on May 28.
Keith Davidson, an attorney who represented former Playboy model Karen McDougal and porn actor Stormy Daniels in hush-money deals with Michael Cohen and the National Enquirer, returns to the witness stand Thursday.
His testimony dominated Tuesday afternoon as he outlined the sequence of events that led to the agreements, including his first interactions with Cohen, who was then Trump’s lawyer and personal fixer. Davidson testified, among other things, that pseudonyms were used in the deal with Daniels and that Cohen was late in making Daniels’ agreed-upon payment of $130,000.
He also testified that he thought Daniels’ story would be a “tornado” if it got out.
Daniels has claimed she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, while McDougal has alleged a yearslong affair with him. Trump has denied both accusations.
During a one-day break in Donald Trump’s historic hush-money trial, the former president lashed out at the judge overseeing the case, complaining about a gag order that bars him from speaking publicly about key witnesses and others.
βThere is no crime. I have a crooked judge, I am a totally conflicted judge,β Trump told supporters at an event in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on Wednesday.
Although the gag order covers speaking publicly about jurors, key witnesses and others in the case, Trump remains free to criticize Merchan.
Testimonies in Donald Trump’s criminal trial will resume Thursday, but only after a hearing into more possible violations of the gag order.
Prosecutors have said that in four new online posts, Trump again violated a court mandate barring him from speaking publicly about jurors, witnesses and others in the hush money case. Judge Juan M. Merchan already punished the former president on Tuesday for nine online posts, fining him $9,000 and threatening him with prison if he continues to violate the order.
The sanctions β and the prospect of more β underscore the difficulty Trump has had adjusting to his responsibilities in court as a criminal defendant while also campaigning as the Republican Party’s presumptive presidential nominee.