Trump facing new sanctions as prosecutors say he's now violated gag order 7 times
Manhattan prosecutors told New York Justice Juan Merchan Thursday that former President Donald Trump had violated a gag order at least seven times since the start of his trial for covering up a sex scandal.
At the start of the third day of Trump's criminal trial, the first in history for a former president, Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass complained about social media posts.
Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy suggested a new order from the judge to show cause.
"It's ridiculous. It's got to stop," Conroy reportedly said.
At 7:09 PM on Wednesday, Trump posted an article about Michael Cohen, his former attorney and a potential witness in the case. In the most troubling post, Trump suggested that potential jurors were liberal activists.
Trump's attorney, Emil Bove, argued that Cohen had been attacking Trump in the media. The attorney said he would argue at a hearing that's already scheduled for Tuesday that re-posting articles did not violate the gag order.
"I look forward to seeing that," Merchan said.
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Steinglass said prosecutors were still considering what sanctions to ask for. They had previously requested a $1,000 fine for each infraction.
“While we will ask for financial penalties on Tuesday, we are still considering our options depending on how [the gag hearing] goes," Steinglass remarked.
Blanche argued Trump's posts were political in nature.