US Judge Threatens to Hold Trump in Contempt for Violating Gag Order
US Judge Threatens to Hold Trump in Contempt for Violating Gag Order
Former US President Donald Trump faces contempt of court proceedings after violating a gag order by failing to remove a disparaging social media post about a clerk for the judge.
Justice Arthur Engoron warned Trump on Friday that he could be fined or even jailed for the infringement. The judge had previously ordered Trump to remove the post immediately, but it remained visible on Trump’s campaign website for weeks.
Trump’s lawyer, Christopher Kise, said the failure to remove the post was “truly inadvertent.” A spokesperson for New York state Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the case, declined to comment.
Trump has a long history of attacking perceived rivals, and his myriad legal issues have led him to portray them as a “witch hunt” aimed at stifling his political ambitions.
Engoron first imposed the gag order on October 3, after Trump shared a picture of a social media post by one of the judge’s clerks posing with Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, who is not involved in the case, calling her “Schumer’s girlfriend.”
Kise said the post had been removed from social media but not Trump’s campaign website.
“It appears no one took it down on the campaign website,” he said. “It is unfortunate and I apologise on behalf of my client.”
Trump is facing numerous legal challenges as he mounts a bid to reclaim the White House in 2024. He remains the clear frontrunner in the current Republican presidential primaries.
