The judge in the hush money trial of former President Donald Trump told his attorneys the were losing credibility as they challenged the prosecution’s stance that he violated a gag order multiple times.
According to NBC News, a gag order was put in place to bar Trump from attacking witnesses on social media. Prosecutors said Tuesday Trump may be violating the order and become incarcerated for political purposes.
“We are not yet seeking an incarceratory penalty; the defendant seems to be angling for that,” prosecutor Chris Conroy said to Judge Juan Merchan.
The hearing was held to determine if Trump will be held in contempt over posts made on Truth Social that prosecutors believe is in violation of the gag order, per the outlet, adding Trump has violated the order at least 10 times.
“The purpose of this hearing is to find out whether the defendant, Mr. Trump, should be held in contempt for one or all of these violations,” Merchan said.
Conroy said these violations are intentional.
“His disobedience of the order is willful, it’s intentional,” Conroy said. “He knows what he’s not allowed to do and he does it anyway.”
However, Trump attorney Todd Blanche offered a different view.
“There was absolutely no willful violation,” he said of the order, but a way to respond to a “barrage of political attacks.”
But when Merchan asked for examples, Blanche had a hard time answering.
“I keep asking you over and over to give me an example and I’m not getting an answer,” Merchan said.
The prosecution is seeking the maximum $1,000 fine for each of the 10 posts it claims violated the order. They also want Trump to remove the posts from Truth Social.
“It also wants Merchan to warn Trump any future violations risk not just additional fines but also as long as 30 days in jail,” per NBC News.
Merchan did not rule on the matter. He did make it clear to the defense that they are not winning points with him.
“When Blanche told him Trump was being careful about complying with the order, the judge told him, ‘You’re losing all credibility with the court,’” per the outlet.
After the hearing, Trump wasted no time in posting on Truth Social.
The trial continued after the hearing with the testimony of former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker.
