A New York judge has fined former United States President Donald Trump $5,000 for allegedly breaking a gag order related to his civil fraud trial.
In a Friday order, Judge Arthur Engoron said that Trump was given ample warning from the court regarding the possible repercussions of violating the gag order. The former president acknowledged that he understood and would abide by the order.
Trump Fined for Violating Gag Order
Engoron noted that simply issuing another warning for Trump was no longer appropriate, adding that the court was already way past the "warning stage." The judge issued the partial gag order on Oct. 3 for all parties involved not to speak about any court staff members.
The decision was made after Trump posted on his Truth Social platform where he attacked the judge's clerk. The former president's post claimed she was a "girlfriend" to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, and showed a picture of them together, as per CNN.
Trump's post was removed from the social media platform immediately after issuing the gag order. However, it was not erased from the former president's campaign website. Engoron admonished the Republican businessman's attorneys in court for a "blatant violation" of the gag order.
Judge Engoron also suggested that violations could result in the imprisonment of the former president. He added that he had learned that the subject post was never removed from the website and had been there for 17 days. He also said the post was only removed in response to an email.
In a statement, Trump attorney Chris Kise apologized to the New York judge and said it was "inadvertent" that the post could stay on what he called a "back page" of the former president's campaign website.
Judge Engoron's latest order only fined Trump $5,000 because it was his first violation and unintentional error. However, according to the New York Times, he warned the former president that any additional infractions would merit even harsher punishments.
A Series of Legal Challenges
In his gag order, the judge said he would not tolerate personal attacks on his staff, calling them "unacceptable." He forbade posts, emails, or public remarks about his staff members. The gag order was similar to what Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, a federal judge in Washington overseeing the election subversion case, issued.
Chutkan's orders prevented Trump from making public comments that targeted her staff, special counsel Jack Smith and his employees, and any "reasonably foreseeable witnesses." However, the former president was still free to criticize his political opponents, the judges of the cases themselves, and the American justice system he has repeatedly described as rigging against him.
However, Judge Chutkan temporarily lifted her gag order in the case on Friday to give Trump's lawyers time to prove why the former president's comments should not be restricted as the case heads toward trial.
The former president's lawyers have argued that neither prosecutors nor the judge have been able to justify the gag order. They added that the Republican businessman has not "unlawfully threatened or harassed anyone," said the Associated Press.
