Donald Trump New York Fraud Trial: Ex-POTUS Warned of 'Serious Sanctions' Amid Expanded Gag Order

Donald Trump has been trying to win his New York fraud trial in the court of public opinion by attacking witnesses and court staff, but this tactic has backfired on him, as Judge Arthur Engoron expanded his gag order against the former president after Trump repeatedly broke his initial one.

In his written order, Judge Engoron told attorneys for the ex-POTUS that they are not allowed "from making any further comments about confidential communications between the judge and his staff inside or outside of the courtroom."

"Since the commencement of this bench trial, my chambers have been inundated with hundreds of harassing and threatening phone calls, voicemails, emails, letters, and packages," wrote Judge Engoron in his decision. "The First Amendment right of defendants and their attorneys to comment on my staff is far and away outweighed by the need to protect them from threats and physical harm."

Donald Trump has been constantly attacking Engoron and a court staffer. While the judge allowed Trump to continue attacking himself, he prohibited him from attacking his court clerk. Meanwhile, prosecutors have been warning that Trump has a history of whipping up his supporters to commit violent acts on his opponents.

Judge Engoron then warned Trump and his attorneys that any violation of this new gag order would result in "serious sanctions." This came after the two sides argued over the clerk whom Trump's attorneys accused of "rolling her eyes" during testimony. They also claimed that she was unfairly influencing the judge without actual evidence.

"She's a civil servant, she's doing what I ask her to do," Engoron said after Trump's attorneys began accusing her of "co-judging." He then told Trump's attorneys that those notes she had been passing to him were "confidential communications from my law clerk."

Ivanka Trump Tries Delaying Her Testimony Because of Her Kids Going to School, Gets Rejected

As Donald Trump's attorneys get gagged, Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump's eldest daughter, fails to employ her father's infamous "delay, delay, delay" tactics as an appeals court rejected her bid to delay her testimony because she was too busy with her children's schooling.

"Ms. Trump, who resides in Florida with her three minor children, will suffer undue hardship if a stay is denied and she is required to testify at trial in New York in the middle of a school week, in a case she has already been dismissed from before her appeal is heard," argued her attorneys in their filing.

However, the reply from the judges from the appeals court panel was short but clear; "Application for interim stay pending decision on the motion is denied."

Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump Shifted the Blame During Their Testimonies at the New York Fraud Trial

While Ivanka tried to delay her testimony, her two brothers, Eric and Don Jr. have already testified.

Both of their testimonies were contradicted by evidence that they knew that their father was inflating his assets, with Eric being presented with emails that contradicted what he was saying in court.

According to the BBC, those emails showed that he "agreed in the past to provide financial information about properties to help with his father's annual statements."

"I didn't work on a statement of financial condition," testified Eric. Meanwhile, his brother testified, "I leave it to my accountants." Both Trump sons aimed to distance themselves from the inflated financial statements and pinned it on other Trump Organization officials like convicted CFO Allen Weisselberg.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Judge in Trump fraud trial expands gag order to former president's lawyers - NBC News