The Republican candidate was fined $10,000 – $1,000 per violation – which is the maximum financial penalty allowed under New York State law.
Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing Donald Trump’s hush money trial to actress Stormy Daniels, is threatening to jail the former president if he continues to pressure witnesses and jurors. Reuters wrote this on Monday, May 6.
Merchan said the fines previously imposed “did not deter the accused from repeatedly violating the court order and the fact that he issued his last warning, his 10th, because of comments that Trump did on social media and the media.”
“Going forward, the court has to consider incarceration,” Merchan told Trump.
He added that it was “the last thing I wanted to do.”
“There are many reasons why imprisonment is my last resort. I understand the importance of this decision,” he added.
As the agency points out, according to the rules, for contempt of court, the defendants can be sent to custody for 30 days. However, the constitutional issues raised by the imprisonment of a presidential candidate have not been raised before, nor have the logistical arrangements required to detain a defendant accompanied by a Secret Service unit been addressed.
In this regard, Trump said that he was willing to risk imprisonment.
“Our constitution is more important than prison. It doesn’t even compare. I will sacrifice it,” he told the judge.
Reuters points out that the judge’s claims were related to Trump telling the media that it was “unfair that the jury was picked from an area that is 95 percent Democratic.”
The judges viewed this comment as not only questioning the integrity and therefore the legitimacy of the proceedings, but also raising concerns for the safety of the jurors and their loved ones.
In April, a trial began in New York against US President Donald Trump on charges of trying to bribe porn actress Stormy Daniels for not disclosing information about their relationship.
He is accused of trying to bribe Daniels $130,000 in 2014 to stop her from coming forward with allegations of a sexual relationship. At the same time, Trump denied the reality of this meeting.
Recall that a New York court found Donald Trump guilty of civil fraud and must now pay $354.9 million plus interest.
The court refused to drop the charges against Trump in the case with the documents
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.