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Updated: Judge warns Trump of potential jail time for violating gag order

By Jack Queen, Luc Cohen and Andy Sullivan
May 7, 20246:50 AM GMT+10Updated 14 min ago

VIDEO

NEW YORK, May 6 (Reuters) - The judge in Donald Trump's criminal trial fined him $1,000 and held him in contempt of court for a 10th time on Monday for violating a gag order and warned that further violations could land the former president in jail.

Justice Juan Merchan said the nine $1,000 fines he had imposed previously did not seem to be deterring the wealthy business mogul from violating the order, which bars him from speaking publicly about the jurors and witnesses in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president.

[...]

Another former Trump employee, Deborah Tarasoff, walked the jury through the 34 invoices, ledger entries and checks stemming from the payments to Cohen, which were made on a monthly basis after Trump won the election. Each represents one of the 34 counts in the indictment against Trump.

Most of the checks were signed by Trump personally, and prosecutors highlighted his tall, looping signature in thick ink for the jury.

Prosecutors say the payment to Daniels corrupted the 2016 election by keeping the news from voters, at a time when Trump's treatment of women was a central issue in his campaign against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

They say the altered business records covered up election-law and tax-law violations that elevate the 34 counts Trump faces from misdemeanors to felonies punishable by up to four years in prison.

If found guilty, Trump could face up to four years in prison, though defendants typically face fines and probation.

The main players in the case have yet to testify, including Cohen and Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.

The case features sordid allegations of adultery and secret payoffs, but it is widely seen as less consequential than three other criminal prosecutions Trump faces. It is the only one certain to go to trial before the Nov. 5 presidential election.

The other cases charge him with trying to overturn his 2020 presidential defeat and mishandling classified documents after leaving office. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all three.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-return-new-york-courtroom-criminal-hush-money-trial-2024-05-06/

Update:

53m ago / 6:28 AM GMT+10

Trump suggests he'll keep speaking out despite gag order warning

Katherine Doyle and Rebecca Shabad

In remarks outside the courtroom, Trump indicated that he would continue to speak out despite Judge Merchan's warning today about the gag order.

"Frankly, our Constitution is far more important than jail. ... I’ll do that choice any day," Trump said.

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1h ago / 6:20 AM GMT+10

Prosecutor estimates DA's office has about 2 weeks left for its side

Adam Reiss and Rebecca Shabad

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass estimated that the DA's office needs about two more weeks for its side of the trial.

That would mean the prosecution would conclude on May 21. The court is not planning to meet on the 22nd or 24th — raising the potential that the trial stretches beyond the Memorial Day weekend.

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1h ago / 6:19 AM GMT+10

Lawyers argue over whether DA's office has made all evidence available to the defense

Jillian Frankel and Rebecca Shabad

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said that Trump's defense team has said several times that the DA's office hasn't handed over all of the evidence. Steinglass indicated that they have presented the evidence to them for seven months and handed all of it over by March 18.

“These exhibits have been designated for a very long time …” he said. “I don’t like the impression being left that we are somehow sandbagging the defense.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/live-blog/trump-hush-money-trial-day-12-live-updates-rcna150792