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The judge presiding over former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial in New York City introduced he’ll hear arguments later this month on whether the previous president violated a gag order amid the case, and should pay $1,000 fines for every violation.
Judge Juan Merchan mentioned he’ll hear arguments on April 24 at 2:15 p.m., relating to whether Trump violated a gag order that forestalls him from making public statements about witnesses and their anticipated testimony within the trial.
The district lawyer’s workplace argued Monday that Trump has violated the order thrice in social media posts and should pay $1,000 for every violation of the gag order. The prosecutors argued Trump should take away the posts and requested he be held in contempt.
LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP’S HUSH MONEY PAYMENT GETS UNDERWAY AS JURY SELECTION BEGINS
Former President Donald Trump attends trial for jury choice at Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday, April 15, 2024, in New York City. (Michael Nagle/The New York Post through AP, Pool)
“The defendant is conscious of the April 1 order. We know that from numerous posts he had made,” mentioned prosecutor Christopher Conroy earlier than Merchan’s ruling.
“We think it is important for the court to remind Mr. Trump is a criminal defendant,” Conroy added.
Trump’s protection lawyer, Todd Blanche, mentioned the previous president was defending himself.
“He is responding to salacious, repeated, vehement attacks by these witnesses,” Blanche mentioned.
The protection workforce has till April 19 to file a written response to the prosecutors’ claims Trump violated the gag order.
The hush money case started Monday, and marks the historic first of a former president standing trial on felony prices. The case focuses on former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen paying former pornography actor Stormy Daniels $130,000 forward of the 2016 election to allegedly silence her claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006.
POTENTIAL TRUMP HUSH MONEY TRIAL JURORS BEING ASKED 42 QUESTIONS
Prosecutors say that the Trump Organization reimbursed Cohen and falsely recorded the funds as authorized bills. Prosecutors are working to show that Trump falsified the data with an intent to commit or conceal a second crime, which is a felony.
Court sketch displaying Former President Donald Trump in Manhattan Criminal Court earlier than Justice Juan Merchan, Monday, April 15, 2024. Trump is going through prices stemming from so-called ‘hush money’ funds made to grownup movie actress, Stormy Daniels within the lead-up to the 2016 Presidential election. (Christine Cornell)
Trump has denied the affair and pleaded not responsible to 34 prices of falsifying enterprise data.
The forty fifth president has repeatedly slammed the case as a “witch hunt,” together with on social media, throughout marketing campaign rallies, and mentioned Monday from the courthouse that he was going through down “political persecution.”
TRUMP CALLS HUSH MONEY TRIAL ‘ASSAULT ON AMERICA’ AS CASE OFFICIALLY KICKS OFF
“Nothing like this has ever happened before,” he mentioned in Lower Manhattan. “This is political persecution. … It’s a case that should have never been brought.”
Former President Donald Trump exits Trump Tower in New York City, Monday, April 15, 2024. Jury choice begins as we speak within the so-called hush money trial in Manhattan Criminal Court this morning. (Probe-Media for Fox News Digital)
“This is an assault on America and that’s why I’m very proud to be here,” Trump added. “This is really an attack on a political opponent.”
NINE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TRUMP TRIAL, ANSWERED
The trial started with jury choice, the place a pool of greater than 500 potential jurors can be requested a sequence of questions to find out if they’ll pretty assess the case. The potential jurors can be dismissed till a pool of 12 jurors, in addition to a handful of alternates, are chosen. The jury choice course of is anticipated to final not less than per week.
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Trump’s authorized workforce mentioned Monday that the forty fifth president needs to be current for every interview, which Merchan acknowledged however mentioned would doubtless be tough as a result of Trump’s Secret Service presence.
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