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A New York judge fined Donald Trump $5,000 for violating a gag order that prohibits him from disparaging courtroom staff.
“Make no mistake: future violations, whether intentional or unintentional, will subject the violator to far more severe sanctions, which may include, but are not limited to, steeper financial penalties, holding Donald Trump in contempt of court, and possibly imprisoning him” pursuant to New York state law, Judge Arthur Engoron wrote in an order. Read the fine order.
Engoron issued a gag order on Trump earlier this month, after he posted an attack on the judge’s law clerk to Truth Social, the former president’s social media site. Trump took down the post, but Engoron said on Friday that he discovered that the post was not removed from DonaldJTrump.com, Trump’s campaign website. It was removed late last night, the judge said, but only in response to an email “from this court.”
Trump’s attorney said today in court that the post had been left inadvertently and was an “unfortunate part of the process that is built into the campaign structure.”
But Engoron noted that it still was a violation of the gag order, and remained on the site for 17 days.
“In the current overheated climate, incendiary untruths can, and in some cases already have, led to serious physical harm, and worse,” he wrote.
Engoron said that the court was “way beyond the ‘warning’ stage and ordered the fine to be paid to New York Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection within the next 10 days.
Earlier this week, the judge in Trump’s federal criminal trial in Washington, D.C. imposed a partial gag order that prohibits him from attacks on court staff, prosecutors and witnesses. Trump faces four conspiracy counts related to his efforts to remain in power after the 2020 presidential election.
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