In a dramatic turn of events at his ongoing civil fraud trial in New York, former President Donald Trump was summoned to testify, and subsequently fined an additional $10,000 by the presiding judge for contempt of a previously imposed gag order.
This latest fine came in the wake of a prior $5,000 penalty imposed on Trump for a derogatory social media post targeting a crucial court staff member. The former president faced reprimand due to comments made outside the courtroom, which he insisted did not contravene the established gag order that prohibited him from making public remarks concerning court personnel.
Judge Arthur Engoron delivered a scathing verdict, declaring Trump “lacks credibility” as a witness. Trump’s attempt to distance his previous criticisms from Judge Engoron’s law clerk, Allison Greenfield, who had been assisting throughout the trial, fell on deaf ears.
Greenfield, customarily seated beside the judge during court proceedings, found herself at the center of Trump’s comments to the Associated Press, in which he accused the judge of partisanship. Trump alleged that the judge’s “very partisan” companion was Michael Cohen, his former confidant turned adversary, who testified against him during the trial. When pressed by Engoron to verify, Trump affirmed, “Yes, I’m sure.”
Notwithstanding this, Trump continued his verbal assault on Greenfield, asserting, “I believe she harbors significant bias against us. This, I believe, has been made abundantly clear.”
Engoron had previously issued a stern warning to Trump, even mentioning the possibility of imprisonment should he flout the gag order again. Consequently, following the $10,000 fine, Engoron issued a somber admonition: “Do not repeat this transgression, as the repercussions will be graver.”
Trump responded to the court’s decision through a spokesperson, who conveyed, “A Democratic judge, under the influence of the radical Letitia James, persists in harassing President Trump, making every effort to infringe upon President Trump’s First Amendment right to free speech and to meddle in the 2024 Presidential Election. These corrupt endeavors, orchestrated by Crooked Joe Biden, will prove futile.”
Engoron had previously remarked that it was “readily apparent” to anyone outside the court that Trump was alluding to Greenfield in his comments. The judge questioned, “Why should there not be severe consequences for this explicit, perilous violation of a clear court order?”
Chris Kise, one of Trump’s legal representatives, argued, “His commentary pertained to Mr. Cohen and his credibility as a witness. We acknowledge the existing order.”
However, Engoron was unswayed, emphasizing that he would normally interpret comments about a person seated beside him as referring to his law clerk. He noted, “A physical separation exists between me and the witness stand.”
After Trump left the courtroom, reportedly uttering, “Unbelievable,” Engoron reflected on the ambiguity in Trump’s statements, suggesting that they were open to interpretation. “I will carefully consider it,” he affirmed.
The genesis of Trump’s violation of the gag order was a social media post on his platform, Truth Social, targeting Greenfield and featuring a photo of her with Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate majority leader, along with a link to her Instagram account. While this post was removed from Truth Social, it remained accessible on Trump’s campaign website. Trump’s legal team contended that this breach was inadvertent. In a written ruling, Engoron outlined the nominal $5,000 fine, underscoring that Trump had far exceeded the “warning” stage, and any future violations, whether deliberate or inadvertent, would incur “far more severe sanctions,” potentially including imprisonment.
