Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg suggested that former President Donald Trump should be thrown in jail for 30 days if he violates a gag order that was imposed by hush-money trial Judge Juan Merchan.
Bragg’s office filed a motion on Tuesday calling on the court to hold Trump accountable and suggesting that additional fines or even jail time would be reasonable responses if Trump spoke publicly about jurors, court staff, or witnesses in the trial.
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BREAKING.🚨
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg files motion to hold Trump in contempt for violating 'gag order'pic.twitter.com/pQngFOqaTY
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) April 16, 2024
“This Court should again admonish defendant to comply with his obligations under the order. And finally, this Court should warn defendant that future violations of the Court’s restrictions on his extrajudicial statements can be punished not only with additional fines, but also with a term of incarceration of up to thirty days,” Bragg’s filing read.
“It is absolutely critical that defendant immediately halt any conduct that would violate the April 1 order’s narrow restrictions to protect the integrity of the ongoing trial,” Bragg’s filing continued. “A finding of criminal contempt, imposition of sanctions, and stark warnings from this Court are the minimum remedies necessary to achieve this indispensable objective.”
The filing alleged that Trump had already violated the order on three separate occasions — each of which would carry a fine of $1000.
According to Bragg’s filing, Trump’s comments via social media on former porn star Stormy Daniels and his own former attorney Michael Cohen amount to attacks against “known witnesses” and “unquestionably violate the Court’s April 1 order.” Bragg further accused the former president of engaging in such attacks as “deliberate and intended to intimidate this Court and impede the orderly administration of this trial.”
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Prosecutors release their written arguments for finding Trump in contempt for posts that they say "unquestionably" violate the gag order.
Full filing in the thread. pic.twitter.com/XdXfMYnZjB
— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) April 16, 2024
After the first day of the trial, some 50 potential jurors were dismissed and the former president complained to reporters about Judge Merchan — who refused to allow him to miss court for a Supreme Court hearing on presidential immunity and suggested he could prevent Trump from attending his son Barron’s graduation in mid-May.