Trump faces a threat of jail time for additional gag order violations
What happened?
- Donald Trump is facing a threat of jail time for additional gag order violations in his hush money trial. [apnews.com, cnn.com, nytimes.com]
- Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records, and prosecutors allege that he falsified records to reimburse his attorney Michael Cohen for the payment to Stormy Daniels. [foxnews.com, dailycaller.com, apnews.com, newsweek.com, cnn.com, nbcnews.com]
- Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen are expected to be summoned as witnesses in the trial. [apnews.com, nbcnews.com]
- The judge warned Trump about further violations of the gag order, describing incarceration as a last resort due to his former presidential status, and Trump was fined for a gag-order violation and warned of potential imprisonment for further violations. [apnews.com, newsweek.com, dailycaller.com]
What is conservative media saying?
- Former President Trump calls the case against him a “political witch hunt” and argues that the gag order violates the First Amendment, while his defense seeks to limit the damage from the “Access Hollywood” tape and his alleged affairs during the 2016 campaign. [foxnews.com, washingtontimes.com]
- Former federal prosecutor Katie Cherkasky questioned the constitutionality of the gag order, suggesting that Democrats fear turning Trump into a civil rights martyr. [dailycaller.com]
- The ex-DOJ official prosecuting Trump had ties to the DNC, and Trump claims the prosecution wants to keep him off the campaign trail. [foxnews.com]
What is center media saying?
- Witnesses confirmed that reimbursement checks were drawn from Trump’s personal account, and nine of 11 checks Cohen received came from Trump’s personal account. [newsweek.com, apnews.com]
- The payments to Daniels were logged as legal expenses, but there was no direct evidence linking Trump to this designation, and Trump’s attorney questioned whether the payments could be considered legal expenses. [apnews.com, newsweek.com]
- A legal analyst criticized Trump’s lawyers for objecting to evidence, making it seem like Trump has something to hide. [newsweek.com, apnews.com]
What is liberal media saying:
- Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert joked about Donald Trump’s frequent violations of the gag order in his criminal trial. [nytimes.com]
- Prosecutors claim the money paid to Stormy Daniels was to keep her quiet about an alleged Trump encounter, and they are keeping the identity of the next witness secret due to Trump’s actions. [nbcnews.com]
- District Attorney Alvin Bragg is amassing more evidence, including audio tapes, to prove the alleged conspiracy and cover-up, and prosecutors are scoring more points than the defense in the trial so far. [cnn.com]
Sources:
