this post was submitted on 30 Apr 2024
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Prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office accused Trump of violating the gag order numerous times since it went into effect.

The judge presiding over Donald Trump’s hush money case on Tuesday held the former president in criminal contempt over a series of posts on Truth Social that he said violated a gag order barring any attacks on jurors and witnesses.

Judge Juan Merchan ruled Trump in contempt for nine violations of his gag order, with a fine of $1,000 for each instance. The order prohibits the former president from "making or directing others to make public statements about known or reasonably foreseeable witnesses concerning their potential participation in the investigation or in this criminal proceeding," and "public statements about any prospective juror or any juror."

Merchan had indicated on April 23 that he was not impressed by the arguments from the defense, telling one of Trump's attorneys that he was “losing all credibility” when he suggested that Trump was exercising caution to comply with the gag order.

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[–] [email protected] 185 points 6 months ago (3 children)

Put. Him. In. A. Holding. Cell.

[–] [email protected] 109 points 6 months ago (5 children)

Fill. The. Holding. Cell. With. Wasps.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 6 months ago (2 children)
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[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Then. Set. It. All. On. Fire.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago (5 children)

Honestly?

The wasps deserve better.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 6 months ago

In a hole preferably

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[–] [email protected] 110 points 6 months ago (1 children)

So he's going to jail right? Held in jail until his next trial date, like what normally happens to people held in contempt?

[–] [email protected] 73 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Next time, we totally mean it this time!

[–] [email protected] 49 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Stop, or I'll say stop again!

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[–] [email protected] 89 points 6 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 117 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

The maximum fine in NY for this is $1,000 per infraction. If it continues, the judge could sentence jail time but the fine would remain the same.

[–] [email protected] 117 points 6 months ago (5 children)

So it's basically designed for rich people to be to ignore?

[–] [email protected] 50 points 6 months ago

Sure is looking that way, isn't it?

[–] [email protected] 36 points 6 months ago (1 children)

The judge addressed that concern specifically and said that when $1k isn't sufficient to cow a contemnor, detention should be imposed.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 6 months ago (1 children)

This is key. If he jailed him right away, his attorneys would call for a mistrial saying the judge was biased against him and they would probably succeed in getting the trial thrown out. It would still go on with another judge, but when the tactic is delay, they win.

This is the first step towards jail for contempt. There can be no doubt Trump is maliciously violating the gag order.

That said, I have little doubt some 11th hour fuckery will happen to prevent him from being jailed.

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 6 months ago

It's like handicap parking spots, it's basically just a super expensive reserved parking spot that every parking lot is legally required to have.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 6 months ago

Yes.

Just like all the other laws.

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[–] [email protected] 37 points 6 months ago (1 children)

And the judge acknowledged that point in his statement. Pointed out that other types of violations allow the guilty party's wealth to be taken into account, but this charge doesn't. Also pointed out that ignoring this sentence and doing future violations are mush more likely to lead to jail time.

.

Despite Trump's whining about everything being unfair to him, and the public saying this is a slap on the wrist, the judge is taking the legally appropriate and legally required steps.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Correct. Merchan is smart to stay by the book in order to prevent providing cause for Trump’s defense to claim mistrial. The prosecution recommended the maximum fine, which was honored. Merchan then set the grounds for possible jail time for future infractions.

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Yes and no.

The amount is insignificant in the monetary sense, but shows the court can actually enforce a gag order. Hopefully further violations result in far more significant contempt punishments such as throwing his ass in jail, but it is a start.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 6 months ago (3 children)

It’s not enforcement if he can pay it with pocket change, it’s just a slight annoyance. Enforcement would be taking his means of breaking the gag order away (his access to social media).

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[–] [email protected] 68 points 6 months ago (1 children)

FOR REALS this time, if you do it AGAIN, ~~there will be consequences~~ we'll tell you to stop again!

[–] [email protected] 40 points 6 months ago (11 children)

I know this is a popular thing to be angry about, but this time there was an actual fine. The consequences are being ratcheted up. The judge is just taking as much care as possible to make sure that all the "t"s are crossed and "i"s dotted along the way, otherwise he risks the whole trial being thrown out in the end. Look at some of the other high-profile "this rich guy's guilty as sin but got off anyway" cases, they often boil down to some screw-up that doesn't disprove the overall case but still invalidates the trial. Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby pop to mind.

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[–] [email protected] 50 points 6 months ago (1 children)

$1000 fine per incident? Can Trump wipe his diapers with a thousand dollar bill before giving it to the court? When will this asshat have real accountability?

[–] [email protected] 50 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Statutory maximum, he can't legally start with worse. He threatened jail for future contempt. And I hope he holds that promise!

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[–] [email protected] 42 points 6 months ago (2 children)

$9,000? Fucking seriously?

[–] [email protected] 68 points 6 months ago (5 children)

Unfortunately, that is probably the statute. It sucks that we don't scale up fines based on wealth.

In Sweden (I think), speeding tickets are based on how much money you have. A person making $50k a year will pay a lower speeding ticket compared to a billionaire going the same speed.

[–] [email protected] 59 points 6 months ago (1 children)

As they say if the punishment is a fine it's aimed at the poor.

[–] [email protected] 42 points 6 months ago

And if a company does it, it is a business expense.

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[–] [email protected] 28 points 6 months ago

@Bassman1805 @MicroWave New York law $1K per instance. I would guess this is a warning shot and if #djt keeps violating the gag order, we'll see #incarceration. #Merchan is being very careful and not giving any wiggle room for an appeal.

[–] [email protected] 41 points 6 months ago (3 children)

...for small change. This is not going to stop anything. It just gave his methods a (cheap) price tag.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 6 months ago

It has to be reasonable and in line with practice. Trump is both like and unlike everyone else that's gone through that courtroom. You have to treat him with kid gloves, let him keep pulling on the rope, then hang him with FAFO consequences fully justified and above reproach.

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[–] [email protected] 37 points 6 months ago (5 children)

From what I have read, conditions of his release from the other trials include not committing ANY crime. Criminal contempt triggers this and Judge Chutkin is the most likely to jail him. Now...odds on that ACTUALLY happening...

[–] [email protected] 22 points 6 months ago

That's an interesting thought. It will never happen, of course, but if she decides he violated the terms of his release she could remand him to jail until trial. If that happens, then all of the work Trump has done to delay his other trials until after the election would end up costing him big time.

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[–] [email protected] 28 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (10 children)

I'm sure he's shaking in his boots.

Mostly because he's a fat worthless fuckstain, not because he's scared of a 9,000 dollar fine.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 6 months ago

Not hush money. Election interference.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 6 months ago

What a coincidence! I find him contemptible, too

[–] [email protected] 14 points 6 months ago

Even if they not going to jail him they should at least sequester him with no outside contact.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Quick, everyone purchase the Ultimate Beach Set to help the god emperor out. /s

[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 months ago

Eighty five American dollars for that? To what amounts to probably $3 in wholesale crap from a container drop?

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