A New York state judge fined former USA President, Donald Trump $5,000 for violating a gag order in his ongoing civil trial for alleged fraud
Judge Arthur Engoron levied the $5,000 fine on Trump after imposing a social media gag order on October 3 that barred the ex-president and other parties from publicly speaking about court staff, after Trump made a disparaging post about Engoron’s clerk.
Trump deleted the post on Truth Social on October 3, hours after it was posted and right before the gag order was imposed, but the post stayed up on Trump’s campaign website until Thursday, when it was first reported on social media.
Trump’s lawyer, Christopher Kise apologized after Engoron complained about the post at the start of the trial Friday, with the attorney arguing the post being left up had been an “inadvertent” mistake.
Engoron said in a written order that the “effect of the post on its subject is unmitigated” by the reasons why the post was left up on the website, and after giving Trump “ample warning” about what would happen if he violated the gag order, “issuing yet another warning is no longer appropriate; this Court is way beyond the ‘warning’ stage.”
Though Engoron suggested at the trial Friday that the “blatant violation” of his order could result in more severe sanctions against Trump—including “jail time”, the judge said in his written order that he would only impose a “nominal” fine, given that attorneys’ position that it was a mistake and the fact it is a “first time violation.”
The judge suggested Trump could still face more serious consequences if he ever violates the gag order again whether “intentional[ly] or unintentional[ly]”—which Engoron said could include “steeper financial penalties, holding Donald Trump in contempt of court, and possibly imprisoning him.”
“In the current overheated climate, incendiary untruths can, and in some cases already have, led to serious physical harm, and worse,” Engoron wrote.
The ongoing trial will determine whether Trump and his business associates committed fraud by misstating valuations of their assets on financial statements for personal gain. It is scheduled to run through mid-December. If found liable at trial, Engoron could impose such penalties on Trump and his associates, including his sons.
Also the state has asked that a $250 million fine and barring the ex-president from running any New York companies or making commercial real estate acquisitions, be imposed on the former president.
