The judge fined Trump in his New York civil fraud case, but the big news is that he has been told that future violations could mean prison time.
Reuters reported:
Donald Trump was hit on Friday with a $5,000 fine by a New York judge for violating a gag order barring the former U.S. president from disparaging court staff during a civil fraud trial in which he is accusing of unlawfully inflating his net worth to dupe lenders.
Future violations by Trump could be punished by steeper fines and possible imprisonment, Justice Arthur Engoron said in an order. The judge noted that the violation appeared inadvertent, but added, “Make no mistake: future violations, whether intentional or unintentional, will subject the violator to far more severe sanctions.”
The judge isn’t making an exemptions for Trump not being able to keep his mouth shut or accidentally posting something, but let’s be clear. Trump’s violation of the gag order was not an accident. He was pushing the boundaries because Donald Trump hates boundaries.
Five thousand dollars won’t scare Trump, but potentially getting hit with prison time would.
Trump’s legal problems are why he is running for president. Trump’s trials can’t be separated from his presidential campaign, but the former president is mixing them together and using them to attempt to solve his problems.
Donald Trump tried to push on his gag order and Judge Engoron pushed right back.
