Donald Trump Hush Money Trial: Judge Fines Former President, Threatens Him With Jail Time Over Gag Order Violations

The Donald Trump hush money trial continued into its 9th day, with judge Juan Merchan fining the former president over his gag order violations and threatening to send him to jail over those repeated infractions where he shared false claims regarding the judge's daughter.

According to NBC News, the trial kicked off with a discussion on Trump's repeated violations of his gag order, with Judge Merchan admitting that $1,000 fine is unlikely to make much of a difference to Trump given his money, However, this led to the judge threatening the former president with jail time after slapping him with the fine.

"Because this Court is not cloaked with such discretion, it must therefore consider whether, in some instances, jail may be a necessary punishment," wrote the judge in his decision. "Defendant is hereby warned that the Court will not tolerate continued willful violations of its lawful orders and that if necessary and appropriate under the circumstances, it will impose an incarceratory punishment."

Trump was fined a total of $9,000 for his repeated infractions, with the former president being ordered to pay $1,000 per infraction he committed. As expected, Trump ranted about the gag order and the fines as soon as the hearing was over.

As for his usual claims about Merchan not allowing him to attend his son, Baron Trump's graduation, Judge Merchan actually allowed it. It is slated to happen on May 17, with Judge Merchan saying he thinks that date is not a problem at all.

National Enquirer Editor Warned About Donald Trump's Frugality May Lead to His Downfall

After the hearing on Trump's gag order violations, the jury was finally able to come in and the prosecution brought in several more witnesses, including former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's banker, the lawyer for the two women who had an affair with Donald Trump, Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal.

The lawyer is Keith Davidson, who testified about the deal between his client, Daniels, and Michael Cohen. He testified that Cohen was late in paying Daniels and even sent the then-Trump attorney instructions on wiring money.

USA Today reported that Davidson also testified about his conversation with National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard. He warned Howard that a mess could happen for Trump because the then-presidential candidate was known for being very frugal when it comes to paying his legal fees and the people working for him.

The $130,000 hush money deal still fell through though Davidson admitted that if it did not, he believes Stormy Daniels would go public.

Legal Experts Say Donald Trump's Arguments During Supreme Court Immunity Hearing Were 'Disturbing'

Meanwhile, over at the other big trial that Donald Trump is facing right now, legal experts are shocked and baffled at the arguments presented by Donald Trump's lawyers to the Supreme Court that as president, Trump had absolute immunity and could not be held accountable for his crimes.

"It was surprising to hear, at least from some of the justices, the possibility that a president could somehow commit criminal misconduct for which they could never be held liable in court," University of North Carolina constitutional expert Michael Gerhardt told ABC News. "I think that has struck many people as just, up until now, inconceivable."

When Justice Elena Kagan questioned Trump attorney John Sauer if a president could order the military to stage a coup and be immune, his answer was that yes, Trump could. Gerhardt stated he found the answer "one of the most disturbing I've ever heard at the Supreme Court."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Judge Allows Trump to Attend His Son's High School Graduation - Late Night with Seth Meyers