Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in a Monday filing asked the judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s trial to threaten him with jail time and hold him in contempt for gag order violations.
Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing Trump’s hush money trial that commenced on Monday, imposed a gag order on the former president on March 26 and expanded it on April 1. Bragg urged Merchan to warn Trump he could face up to 30 days in jail if he violates the gag order in the future, according to the court filing. (RELATED: ‘Get Bad Convictions’: Alan Dershowitz Outlines Dems’ Strategy With Trump Indictments)
BREAKING: DA Alvin Bragg asks Court to hold Donald Trump in Contempt for Allegedly Violating Gag Order, Urges Court to Warn of Potential Jail Time for Future Violations of Gag Order pic.twitter.com/DKdH03zIni
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) April 16, 2024
“This Court should again admonish defendant to comply with his obligations under the order,” Bragg’s filing states. “And finally, this Court should warn defendant that future violations of the Court’s restrictions on his extrajudicial statements can be punished not only with additional fines, but also with a term of incarceration of up to thirty days.”
“It is absolutely critical that defendant immediately halt any conduct that would violate the April 1 order’s narrow restrictions to protect the integrity of the ongoing trial,” the filing concludes. “A finding of criminal contempt, imposition of sanctions, and stark warnings from this Court are the minimum remedies necessary to achieve this indispensable objective.”
The gag order on Trump bars him from making statements about witnesses, prosecutors other than the district attorney, court staff, their families and prospective jurors. The charges Trump faces related to business fraud are from an alleged $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels to stay quiet regarding an alleged affair.
Bragg also argued that Trump has already violated the April 1 gag order and that Merchan should hold him in contempt.
“This Court should now hold defendant in criminal contempt for willfully disobeying a lawful mandate,” the Monday filing reads. “Defendant is not above the law, and he cannot simply disregard judicial orders that upset him.”
A Tuesday AP/NORC poll found that 31% of Americans believe Trump’s alleged actions were “unethical, but not illegal,” 14% argue he did “nothing wrong” and 19% said they “don’t know enough to say.”
Bragg did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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