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Donald Trump was reprimanded at his hush money trial on Tuesday when Judge Juan Merchan ruled that he found the former president in contempt of court on nine of the first ten violations of the gag order, fining him $1,000 for each.
Further violations may result in “an incarceratory punishment”, he warned. Another hearing on other alleged breaches of the gag order is set for when court resumes on Thursday.
In better news for Mr Trump, the judge will allow him a day off to attend his son Barron Trump’s high school graduation on 17 May, apparently happy with the pace of the trial.
This week the court has heard key testimony from Gary Farro, the banker for former Trump fixer Michael Cohen explaining how the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair with Mr Trump was funded.
Tying much of the story together was Keith Davidson, the ex-lawyer for Ms Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal who negotiated the sale of their stories to guarantee their silence – which became urgent in October 2016 after the Access Hollywood tape was released.
The Independent’s Alex Woodward is covering the trial at Manhattan Criminal Court.
What has happened so far at Donald Trump’s hush money trial?
Do you need to catch up on what has happened so far at Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial?
We’ve got you covered.
Here are our key takeaways from the trial’s opening statements and testimony so far:
Court resumes in New York at 9.30am.
What is the prospect of more political violence if Trump loses in November?
Mike Bedigan writes:
No evidence was ever presented to support those claims, which were rejected by judges across the country in the wake of Joe Biden’s victory.
Nevertheless…
Trump campaign’s new gripe: Debate commission’s refusal to change dates to suit ex-president
Gustaf Kilander reports:
Donald Trump’s campaign is complaining about the debate commission’s “unacceptable” decision to stick to its schedule – rather than changing its plans to suit the whims of the former commander-in-chief.
Read on…
Trump and allies raise baseless comparisons between Gaza protests and January 6 riot
Alex Woodward writes:
“They took over a building, that is a big deal. And I wonder if what’s going to happen to them will be anything comparable to what happened to J6, because they’re doing a lot of destruction, a lot of damages, a lot of people getting hurt very badly,” the former president said from the criminal courthouse in Manhattan on Tuesday.
“I wonder if that’s going to be the same kind of treatment they gave J6,” he added. “Let’s see how that all works out. I think I can give you the answer right now. And that’s why people have lost faith in our court system.”
Continue reading…
Experts weigh in on whether Trump should testify in hush money trial
Read Gustaf Kilander’s full article:
Need to catch up on what’s happened at Trump’s trial so far?
Do you need to catch up on what has happened so far at Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial?
We’ve got you covered.
Here are our key takeaways from the trial’s opening statements and testimony so far:
Court resumes tomorrow at 9.30am.
The View host mocks Trump for ‘farting up a storm’ in court
As Hostin put it: “He’s farting up a storm in the courtroom.”
Kevin E G Perry has the story:
Watch: Trump wildly claims Biden determined to create condition for Oct 7 attack in US with Gaza refugees
Trump campaign’s new gripe: Debate commission’s refusal to change dates to suit ex-president
Gustaf Kilander reports:
Donald Trump’s campaign is complaining about the debate commission’s “unacceptable” decision to stick to its schedule – rather than changing its plans to suit the whims of the former commander-in-chief.
Read on…
Spoiler: He has said this multiple times.
Source: independent.co.uk
