In the ongoing hush money trial against former President Donald Trump, Judge Juan Merchan has fined him $9,000 for contempt of court. The fine stems from nine online statements made by Trump that violated a gag order imposed to prevent him from commenting on witnesses and other parties involved in the case.

Merchan noted that the fine may not be sufficient to deter Trump, due to his wealth, and expressed regret at not having the authority to impose a higher penalty. He warned Trump that any further violations of the gag order may result in imprisonment.

The judge ordered Trump to remove the offending statements from his Truth Social account and campaign website by 2:15 p.m. Trump has argued that the gag order infringes on his free speech rights, but Merchan found no evidence that expected witnesses had attacked Trump before he insulted them.

The $9,000 fine is payable by Friday and represents a relatively small sum for Trump, who has posted millions of dollars in bonds in other legal proceedings. However, the possibility of imprisonment remains an unprecedented prospect in the criminal trial of a former U.S. president. CONTINUE READING