Former President Donald Trump faced a stern warning from Judge Arthur Engoron in his financial fraud trial. Day two of the trial saw the judge issuing a limited gag order that had Trump’s legal team on their toes.
The gag order
The judge’s order was clear: “Watch what you say and post, or risk ending up behind bars for up to a month.” The gag order extended to all parties involved in the civil case, demanding an end to verbal and social media attacks on members of the court staff.
The catalyst for this unprecedented move was a post on Trump’s Truth Social platform, in which he took an underhanded partisan swipe at the judge’s principal law clerk, Allison Greenfield.
Judge Engoron wasted no time in denouncing Trump’s actions, calling the post “disparaging, untrue, and personally-identifying.” Although the judge only cited “one of the defendants” as the culprit, there was no doubt about whom he was referring to.
The offending post
Now deleted, the post depicted Greenfield alongside Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, with Trump referring to her as “Schumer’s girlfriend.”
Judge Engoron did not mince words when he warned of “serious sanctions” if his order was not obeyed. These sanctions could include fines, further restrictions, and a potential 30 days behind bars for Trump if he defies the order.
Threat of prison looms
The gag order in the New York state court is just one of the legal challenges Trump is facing. A federal court in DC is also considering a motion that aims to restrict what Trump can say and post about another indictment and officials involved in that case. However, Trump’s history of pushing boundaries and engaging in online attacks suggests that curbing his behavior won’t be easy.
As the drama unfolds in both state and federal courts, the threat of prison looms over Trump’s actions, at least for the time being. Whether he will find a way to circumvent these restrictions remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the legal battles of the former president continue to captivate the nation.
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