{"id":2227922,"date":"2024-04-23T08:21:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-23T12:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-trial-judge-to-decide-if-former-president-violated-gag-order\/"},"modified":"2024-04-23T08:24:13","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T12:24:13","slug":"trump-trial-judge-to-decide-if-former-president-violated-gag-order","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-trial-judge-to-decide-if-former-president-violated-gag-order\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge to Determine if Trump Breached Gag Order in Trial"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-trial-judge-to-decide-if-former-president-violated-gag-order%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2227922&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is\u2062 seeking a criminal contempt charge against Donald Trump for breaching a gag order in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-sees-delays-in-civil-fraud-verdict-and-election-interference-trial\/\" title=\"Trump's civil fraud verdict and election interference trial face delays\">hush \u200bmoney case<\/a>.\u2062 Bragg claims Trump\u2064 violated the order multiple times\u2064 and is pushing for sanctions. Judge Merchan\u2062 is considering the seriousness of the contempt request. The case involves payments made by Trump&#8217;s lawyer, Cohen, to silence\u200b Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is \u2064pursuing a criminal contempt charge against Donald Trump for flouting a \u2064gag \u2062order in \u2063the hush money case. Bragg\u2064 alleges\u2064 repeated violations \u200cby Trump and advocates for penalties.\u200d Judge Merchan is assessing the gravity of the contempt petition. The case revolves around payments by Trump&#8217;s\u200b attorney,\u2064 Cohen, to silence Stormy Daniels pre-2016 election.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will urge a judge on Tuesday at a hearing to hold <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> in criminal contempt for allegedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/2967584\/bragg-trump-contempt-3k-fine-gag-order\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>violating<\/a> a gag order in the former president\u2019s hush money case in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-york\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"New York\">New York<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Bragg has claimed Trump violated the order at least 10 times and has argued to Judge Juan Merchan that a contempt finding should be accompanied by sanctions of $1,000 per gag order violation and a warning that additional violations would result in a punishment of prison time.<\/p>\n<p>Merchan appeared poised to consider holding Trump in contempt seriously after he scheduled the hearing on the matter and ordered Trump\u2019s attorneys to respond in writing ahead of the hearing with reasons why the former president should not be penalized for his comments.<\/p>\n<p>Merchan issued the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nycourts.gov\/LegacyPDFS\/press\/PDFs\/Clarification-OrderRestrictingES.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>gag order<\/a> on April 1, effectively banning Trump from speaking about witnesses in the case, prosecutors and their families, and court staff and their families.<\/p>\n<p>While Merchan acknowledged in the order that courts are \u201cunderstandably concerned\u201d about Trump\u2019s right to free speech, the judge said Trump\u2019s verbal attacks on those involved in his legal proceedings served to intimidate witnesses or officials and therefore interfered with the court process.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe People provide a plethora of compelling arguments in support of their claim that Defendant\u2019s conduct is deliberate and intended to intimidate this Court and impede the orderly administration of this trial,\u201d Merchan wrote.<\/p>\n<p>On April 15, prosecutors filed three examples of alleged gag order violations, which involved Trump making references to Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels, two known witnesses in the case who are both aggressively outspoken about Trump in their own rights.<\/p>\n<p>Bragg, an elected Democrat, has charged Trump with concealing payments that Cohen, then Trump\u2019s attorney, arranged in 2016 to silence Daniels ahead of the presidential election.<\/p>\n<p>Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to lying to a bank, evading taxes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fec-drops-its-inquiry-into-trumps-payments-to-stormy-daniels\/\" title=\"FEC Drops Its Inquiry Into Trump\u2019s Payments To Stormy Daniels\">violating campaign finance laws<\/a>, and lying to Congress, and one of his crimes included his efforts to pay off Daniels. Cohen eventually blamed Trump for encouraging his criminal activity and has since been vocal about his gripes with his former client.<\/p>\n<p>Amid the start of Trump\u2019s trial for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-rejects-trump-bid-to-shield-financial-records\/\" title=\"Supreme Court Rejects Trump Bid To Shield Financial Records\">hush money payments<\/a>, Cohen has gone on a media blitz, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Acyn\/status\/1780345128437108795\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>criticizing<\/a> Trump in podcasts, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MichaelCohen212\/status\/1782453948999139525\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>calling<\/a> Trump names like \u201cVon S***zInPantz\u201d on X, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/2970187\/michael-cohen-witness-trumps-trial-media-blitz-credibility-questions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>conducting<\/a> national media interviews in which he details how crucial he views himself to Bragg\u2019s case.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, prosecutors say Trump\u2019s posts on Truth Social about Cohen are a violation of the gag order, which Merchan installed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-rules-trump-can-share-some-evidence-publicly-in-2020-election-case\/\" title=\"Judge allows Trump to publicly share evidence in 2020 election case.\">prevent witness intimidation<\/a> and maintain fair court proceedings.<\/p>\n<p>One of the posts prosecutors say violated the order was a comment written by Daniels\u2019s former attorney Michael Avenatti.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is outrageous that Cohen and Daniels can do countless TV interviews, post on social, &#038; make $$ on bogus documentaries \u2014 all by talking s*** about Trump \u2014 but he\u2019s gagged and threatened with jail if he responds,\u201d Avenatti wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Trump shared the remark on his own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-whistleblower-edward-snowdens-wife-shares-photos-of-their-new-son\/\" title=\"U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden\u2019s wife shares photos of their new son\">social media page<\/a> and thanked Avenatti for \u201crevealing the truth about two sleaze bags.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The two other alleged gag order violations were a post that referenced Daniels\u2019s name and showed a picture of a statement she made years ago about Trump, as well as a post in which Trump called Cohen a \u201cdisgraced attorney and felon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On April 18, prosecutors <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/725602395\/Bragg-Supplemental-Contempt-Filing?secret_password=G6TrAYvZGI9RhSQTrJ7k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>supplemented<\/a> their contempt request with seven more examples of Trump\u2019s alleged gag order violations, which largely consisted of Trump quoting news articles about Cohen on Truth Social.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s attorneys had argued in court papers ahead of Merchan issuing the gag order that limiting the speech of the presumptive Republican presidential candidate defied Supreme Court precedent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPresident Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee and leading candidate in the 2024 election. The Supreme Court has \u2018never allowed the government to prohibit candidates from communicating relevant information to voters during an election,&#8217;\u201d the attorneys wrote.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Manhattan DA Bragg seeks criminal contempt against ex-President Trump for breaching gag order in hush money case. Bragg alleges Trump violated the order 10+ times, pushing for action before Judge Merchan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":2227923,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24113656060095.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2227922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24113656060095.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2227922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2227922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2227922\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2227923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2227922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2227922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2227922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}