Judge Juan Merchan on Tuesday morning announced that he has found former President Donald Trump in contempt on nine of 10 alleged violations of the gag order preventing him from making public statements about jurors, witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and members of their family. Each violation carries a $1,000 fine, which means he must pay a total of $9,000.
The judge’s decision came as prosecutors prepared to resume presenting their case against former Trump, who is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels on the eve of the 2016 election. The third week of the trial — which is expected to last six weeks — will see more testimony from bank officials as well as people who worked for Trump and had first-hand knowledge of the $130,000 payment made to Daniels, who alleged she had an extramarital affair with the billionaire.
On Friday, Gary Farro, First Republic Bank’s former senior managing director, testified about working with former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to set up an account for a limited liability corporation that was used to pay Daniels. He will be back on the witness stand Tuesday.
Cohen, who was convicted of tax fraud and lying to Congress while working for Trump, will be called as a witness in the case.
Follow our live blog below for the latest updates from inside and outside the courtroom.
Live9 updates
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Donald Trump has entered the courtroom, alongside son Eric
Donald Trump and son Eric. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images) Donald Trump has entered the courtroom with his son Eric, who appears to be the first member of his family to attend the criminal trial. According to reporters, the father-son duo were seen chatting by the well area while “scanning faces in the courtroom.”
Good morning from Trump’s Manhattan trial. He just walked into the courtroom with his legal team and son, Eric, who appears to be the first member of his family to attend. They’re chatting by the well while scanning faces in the courtroom.
— Molly Crane-Newman (@molcranenewman) April 30, 2024
NOW:
Trump enters the courtroom, trailed for the first time in this trial by a family member.
Eric Trump is standing in the front row of the gallery.
Father and son chat before proceedings begin.
— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) April 30, 2024
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What Trump said as he arrived at the courthouse
Trump speaks upon arriving at Manhattan Criminal Court Tuesday. (Seth Wenig/AP) Speaking to reporters on his way into the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse for the third week of his hush money trial, former President Trump criticized the case, as he has done routinely since the trial began.
“This is a case that should never have been brought,” Trump said. “This is a disgraceful case.”
Trump also briefly lashed out at Judge Juan Merchan, who he called “conflicted,” before moving on to other topics, including the wave of protests on college campuses over the war in Gaza.
He then returned to the day ahead.
“I’m gonna go into the ice box now and sit for about eight hours or nine hours,” Trump said. “I’d much rather be in Georgia. I’d much rather be in Florida. I’d much rather be in states that are in play. I’d like to be able to campaign.”
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Trump and the jurors rarely look at each other. That’s a good sign for our jury system.
Donald Trump sits at the defendant’s table during his criminal trial. (Sarah Yenesel/Getty Images) The 12 jurors and six alternates in Trump’s hush money trial rarely look the former president in the eye as they walk past the defense table when they enter and exit the courtroom. The same goes for Trump, who usually whispers with his lawyers as the jurors pass by, according to reports. Experts say that’s a good sign.
“They’ve all taken an oath to judge the case solely on the evidence,” former Manhattan financial crimes prosecutor Diana Florence told Business Insider. “So I think the fact that he is such a bold-faced name and they’re not staring at him is probably a good sign for our jury system.”
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Trump has reportedly been complaining about his lawyer
Todd Blanche sits at the defense table inside Manhattan criminal court on Friday. (Mart Peterson/AP) Outside the courtroom, Trump has said he’s happy about the way the trial is progressing. But the New York Times reports that behind closed doors, the former president has been complaining about his lead defense attorney, Todd Blanche.
According to the Times, Trump feels Blanche has not been aggressive enough and “wants him to attack witnesses, attack what the former president sees as a hostile jury pool, and attack the judge, Juan M. Merchan.”
“Nearly every lawyer who has ever represented Mr. Trump has spent time in the blast zone,” the paper added. “But as he enters the third week of his first criminal trial — one that not only threatens his campaign to become president again, but also could send him to prison — the question of whether his lawyers can win enough leeway from his desires has never loomed larger.”
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