Former President Trump Fined $10,000 for Violating Gag Order on Court Staff Discussion

Outside of the civil fraud trial involving Donald J. Trump, the former president made remarks to reporters that the judge deemed an attack on a court employee.

In a surprising turn of events, a Manhattan judge, Arthur F. Engoron, who is overseeing Mr. Trump’s civil fraud trial, ordered him to take the witness stand, personally questioned him, found his answers lacking credibility, and imposed a $10,000 fine. This action was taken in response to Mr. Trump’s violation of an order that prohibited discussing court staff during his comments to reporters earlier that day.

During his brief testimony, Mr. Trump, dressed in a navy suit and departing from his usual lengthy discourse, asserted that his impromptu remarks in a courthouse corridor were directed at his former lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, who was a witness, and not at the judge’s law clerk, Allison Greenfield, whom he had criticized on social media. However, Mr. Trump did acknowledge his belief that Ms. Greenfield might be biased and unfair. He left the witness stand after roughly three minutes, and Justice Engoron promptly declared, “I find that the witness is not credible,” before imposing the fine as Mr. Trump stared ahead blankly.

This incident was unexpected and remarkable, as Mr. Trump, who is expected to testify in his civil fraud trial next month, had not appeared in open court for a decade, and his first appearance resulted in a ruling against him. The ongoing civil fraud trial, initiated by a lawsuit from New York Attorney General Letitia James against Mr. Trump, has spanned approximately three weeks, with Mr. Trump frequently in attendance.

The episode that led to Mr. Trump’s testimony occurred during a break in the proceedings when he spoke to television cameras. He referred to Justice Engoron as partisan, which was permissible under the gag order, but then added that the judge was sitting alongside a person “perhaps even much more partisan than he is.” The judge later cited these comments and expressed concern about the potentially heated environment leading to real danger, stating, “I am very protective of my staff. I don’t want anybody killed.”

Mr. Trump’s attorney, Christopher M. Kise, argued that Mr. Trump had been referring to Mr. Cohen in his comments, not the judge’s law clerk. However, the judge believed the target of the comments was clear and called a hearing after a lunch break.

Mr. Trump’s appearance on the witness stand and the subsequent fine overshadowed a day that could have otherwise been seen as successful for him. His lawyers succeeded in highlighting inconsistencies in Mr. Cohen’s testimony, causing him to admit to past lies and seeming contradictions.

Despite this, Mr. Trump’s fine and testimony were the day’s focus. It demonstrated the challenge of gag orders for a former president known for spontaneous monologues in which he attacks his adversaries.

The civil fraud trial will continue, and the case is based on extensive documentation and numerous witnesses, as noted by Attorney General Letitia James. Following the court proceedings, Mr. Trump continued to comment on the trial, while Mr. Cohen remained steadfast in his assertions, suggesting that accountability was the core issue at hand.

Former President Donald Trump has been fined $10,000 by a judge for violating a gag order that prohibited him from discussing court staff.

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