:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/5OFR2AZRQJFJNA6P46AIOSYGXY.jpg "The controversial phrases that put Trump close to being found guilty of contempt")
The judicial situation of the donald trump It keeps getting tangled up. In the midst of the historic criminal trial over alleged secret payments to buy a former porn star’s silence, the judge overseeing the case in Manhattan held a hearing to consider whether to find the former Republican president guilty of contempt for repeatedly violating the provisions of a gag order.
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The jury in the case had not yet been selected when prosecutors accused Trump of repeatedly violating the order prohibiting him from publicly commenting on witnesses, prosecutors, jurors and court staff, as well as their family members, through online attacks that amount to “ a threat”. ” for the trial.
The Trump messages being targeted were expressed on his Truth Social platform or his campaign website. Prosecutors also accused the former president of sharing a quote from a commentator who disparaged potential jurors and classified them as left-wing clandestine operators.
Trump, the Republican presidential candidate for the November elections and the first former governor to occupy the criminal justice dock, has been especially blunt in his statements and publications with Michael Cohen, his former lawyer and current enemy, who will be a key witness in the prosecution.
Cohen paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to hush up her story of an affair with Trump, and Trump later reimbursed her.
Prosecutors also told him that a post Trump made against the former porn star violated the gag order.
“The defendant is knowingly and deliberately failing to follow the crystal clear lines” established in the April 1 order “to protect the integrity of this process,” said prosecutor Chris Conroy.
Prosecutors urged the judge to find him guilty of contempt of court for 11 gag order violations and asked Judge Juan Merchán to fine Trump $1,000 for each violation.
Trump’s defense argued that the posts did not violate the order because they simply responded to “an avalanche of political attacks,” including those from Cohen. Todd Blanche, the former president’s lawyer, said he does not believe that “publishing an article” from any media outlet is “a violation of the gag order.”
A tense moment occurred when Blanche claimed that Trump was “trying to enforce this gag order.” “President Trump is being very careful about respecting his rules,” he said. And then the judge replied: “Mr. Blanche, you are losing all credibility before this court.”
The judge decreed the anonymity of the 12 members of the jury and the six substitutes to avoid any type of intimidation, after one candidate withdrew for fear of being recognized.
This is the first of four criminal trials against Trump to reach a jury. The trial began on April 15 and could last two months in a context that is already tense due to the electoral campaign that will pit the former Republican president against the current Democratic president Joe Biden.
For this reason, Trump has defended the strategy of electoral interference and has used the legal proceedings against him to claim that he is the victim of a campaign to prevent him from returning to power. It is to strengthen that discourse in which his controversial messages against the characters involved in this criminal trial are framed, something for which he could be considered guilty of contempt.
“Trump continued to test his limits, sharing quotes and articles criticizing his supposed enemies, a tactic he used for years to defend his statements while maintaining plausible deniability,” said “The New York Times.”
Although they asked for a financial sanction, prosecutors this Tuesday, 23, asked the judge to remind the former president that “prison is an option” if he continues to violate the gag order at his trial.
Trump previously stated he would be willing to go to prison over the gag order issue. In recent weeks, the former head of state even compared himself to Nelson Mandela when he reported being the victim of a gag.
The judicial decision is not simple, among other things, due to the unprecedented nature of the situation.
“If Merchan agrees that Trump defied the gag order, then he will face the thorny question of what to do about it. His options range from a stern warning to a modest fine and a short prison sentence. Several former prosecutors said they hoped Merchan would be lenient. But they also highlighted that the situation is unpredictable and, needless to say, unprecedented”, notes the media outlet Politico.
Former prosecutor Elizabeth Roper, a partner at Baker McKenzie, said a fine would likely be imposed.
ABC News recalls that Trump has been subject to other gag orders in his legal cases, including a limited one in his civil fraud case in New York that he violated on two occasions and another charge for the judge overseeing his case of federal interference in the elections.
In both cases, the appeals courts affirmed the constitutionality of the gag orders.
However, this is the first time he has faced a sanction for disobeying a gag order as part of a criminal case.
An important point alleged by Trump’s defense is that the former president’s posts about Cohen came in response to comments his former lawyer made in the media about the former president.
Speaking to “Politico”, Rebecca Roiphe, former prosecutor and professor at New York Law School, highlights that the gag order does not include an exception for such rebuttals.
“There is something to be said for the fact that the purpose of the gag order is to ensure the integrity of the process, and if the accused would suffer if they became tongue-tied because there are others in the media talking about it, then that is not a point completely irrelevant”, he stated.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, the 23rd, Merchán postponed the possible punishment of Trump for allegedly violating the gag order. The judge has the possibility of issuing a resolution electronically in the next few hours, in the same court when the process resumes on Thursday, or even later.
Source: Elcomercio
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
