The judge overseeing Donald J. Trump’s criminal case in Manhattan held him in contempt and fined him $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order. The judge, Juan M. Merchan, warned that Trump could go to jail if he continued to attack witnesses and jurors. Trump’s trial is the first criminal trial of an American president, and tension was high as new witnesses took the stand, including Keith Davidson, a lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels and negotiated a hush-money payment to keep her account of an affair with Trump secret.
In his testimony, Mr. Davidson revealed details of his negotiation of hush-money payments for both Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, another woman who claimed to have had an affair with Trump. The prosecution presented a variety of evidence, including text messages, videos of Trump campaign events, and excerpts from depositions, to paint Trump as a criminal. The testimony also hinted at a secret plot involving The National Enquirer, whose publisher, David Pecker, worked with Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, to protect Trump’s candidacy.
The judge’s decision to hold Trump in contempt came after he made nine public statements attacking the jury and certain witnesses, in violation of the gag order. Trump has been vocal in his complaints about the order and the judge, and his entourage in court included his son and campaign adviser. Despite his lawyers’ arguments that his posts were political responses, Justice Merchan found that Trump had crossed the line by attacking Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels. Trump may continue to respond to political attacks, but the judge warned that witnesses who provoke him may not be protected.
The prosecution focused on Trump’s tendency to lie and politicize his actions, using his posts attacking witnesses and jurors as evidence of his contempt for the legal process. Trump falsely portrayed a statement from Stormy Daniels as newly discovered when it was actually from a few years earlier, and the judge found that his attacks on Cohen and Daniels were unwarranted. While Trump was not fined for calling them “sleaze bags,” he was held in contempt for other posts that violated the gag order.
The judge had initially imposed the order in March, prohibiting public statements about witnesses, prosecutors, jurors, or court staff, as well as their families. Trump found a loophole and attacked the judge’s daughter, prompting the order to be expanded to cover his relatives and those of the Manhattan district attorney. Trump’s behavior in court reflects his penchant for attacking former allies and praising former enemies, as seen in a video where he hailed Michael Cohen as a “very talented lawyer” just before Cohen testified against him.
