(NewsReady.com) – Former President Donald Trump has used social media as a sounding board since the advent of Twitter, now known as X. The billionaire even started his own platform, Truth Social, to give himself more control. A New York judge has now fined him for violating a gag order with his posts on the platform.
Judge Juan Merchan issued a gag order against Trump before the criminal trial in New York began and later expanded it to cover more people. The judge prohibited the former president from attacking witnesses, the jury, and family members of court employees. On April 30, Merchan held Trump in contempt of court for violating the gag order nine times in recent weeks.
Trump attacked witnesses Michael Cohen and Stephanie “Stormy Daniels” Clifford in posts on Truth Social. The case against the former president revolves around a $130,000 payment Cohen, his former personal attorney, gave Clifford to keep her quiet about an alleged affair with Trump. The 45th POTUS is then accused of falsifying business records to repay Cohen.
Merchan fined Trump $9,000 for the violations or $1,000 for each one. In a written order, the judge stated that the former president violated the gag order by “making social media posts about known witnesses” involved in the case and “making public statements about jurors in [the] criminal proceeding.”
Trump took down all nine of the offending posts by that afternoon. Merchan also warned the former president that he would “not tolerate continued willful violations of its lawful orders,” and if he continued, he would face incarceration.
Although Trump is not allowed to attack the jury, family members of court employees, or witnesses, he is within his right to go after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg or the judge. The former president continues to maintain his innocence in the case. He claims he did nothing wrong, he was just paying the invoices his lawyer sent him. Cohen has already served prison time for his involvement in the case.
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