Donald Trump Fraud Trial: Ex-POTUS Gets Punishment Amid Gag Order Violations
Donald Trump may land in jail after repeatedly violating a gag order not to speak about any members of the court staff as he was fined $5,000 for breaking it soon after being warned by the judge.
Judge Arthur Engoron, whom Trump has repeatedly attacked, warned Donald Trump about imprisonment twice to hammer in the point.
"Donald Trump has received ample warning from this Court as to the possible repercussions of violating the gag order. He specifically acknowledged that he understood and would abide by it," he stated in court. "Accordingly, issuing yet another warning is no longer appropriate; this Court is way behind the 'warning' stage."
As for what Trump did that got him a $5,000 fine, it was about Donald Trump's post falsely claiming without evidence that a court staffer working for Engoron was a "girlfriend" to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, who is a Democrat. The post showed a picture of the two together.
Engoron ordered the post be removed and Trump did for Truth Social. However, the ex-POTUS never erased it from his campaign website, DonaldJTrump.com. Engoron admonished Trump for not deleting the false claim there and stated that not doing so was a "blatant violation" of the gag order. He then warned Trump attorneys that this could land their client in jail.
"I learned that the subject post was never removed from the website," said the judge. "And, in fact, had been on that website for the past 17 days. I understand that it was removed late last night but only in response to an email."
Judge Admonished Donald Trump Even More During Fraud Trial
Donald Trump was not in court on Friday morning so it was his attorneys who received the brunt of Judge Engoron's admonitions. This led Trump attorney Chris Kise to apologize to the judge on behalf of his client, claiming that the post not being deleted was "inadvertent." The defense attorney stated that the post was on the "back page" of Trump's campaign website which was why it was not deleted.
READ MORE: Donald Trump's Ex-Lawyer Pleads Guilty to 2020 Election Scandal
According to CNBC, the judge acknowledged Kise's remarks "under advisement," but added that the former president "is still responsible for what appears on the site."
"I want to make clear that Mr. Trump is responsible for the large machine, even if it is a large machine," said Engoron. "Moreover, a defendant may not evade liability for violating a court order by assertion that the violation was a result of the actions of one or more of the defendant's employees or agents."
Another Donald Trump Ally Flips in Georgia
The New York fraud trial and the threat of imprisonment was not the only piece of bad news for Donald Trump, as one of his closest allies in Georgia has now flipped, making him the second biggest flip after "Kraken Lawyer" Sidney Powell.
Kenneth Chesebro, who is said to be the mastermind behind the fake elector scheme, has also flipped after taking a plea deal. He has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit filing false documents. This guilty plea came before his and co-defendant Sidney Powell's trial is set to begin next week. He now has been sentenced to five years of probation and was ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution. He also agreed to testify in other trials and hearings and provide documents and evidence.
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This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
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