Donald Trump Threatened With Jail Time After 'Blatant Violation' of Judge's Gag Order in New York Fraud Case
A New York judge threatened to jail Donald Trump over a gag order violation.
Oct. 20 2023, Published 1:22 p.m. ET
Ex-president Donald Trump was threatened with jail time over his violation of a partial gag order issued in his $250 million New York fraud case, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Judge Arthur Engoron previously issued the partial gag order after Trump attacked a member of his staff and shared her personal information on Truth Social.
Trump was previously ordered to take down a post attacking a court staffer under a partial gag order.
On Friday, the Manhattan judge touted the idea of heavy sanctions or even jail time for Trump in response to his "blatant violation" of the partial gag order.
"Last night I learned the offending post was never removed from a website," Engoron said in reference to Trump's post about his clerk, which he ordered to be removed from Truth Social, however, the post remained on Trump's website for over two weeks.
Visit the all-new RADAR SPORTS for all the on and off-field activities of the biggest names in the games.
Trump attorney Christopher Kise apologized for the post and said it was unintentional.
"This is a blatant violation of the gag order. I made it clear failure to comply will result in serious sanctions," the judge continued. "It remained on the Donald J. Trump campaign site and in fact it has been on there for the past 17 days, [and] it was removed late last night after an email from this court."
Reporting from Medias Touch on Thursday brought the post's feature on Trump's website to light and both sides were soon alerted of its existence.
"Incendiary untruths can and have led to serious physical harm," Engoron said. "I will now allow the defendant to explain why this should not end up with serious sanctions or I could possibly imprison him."
Judge Engoron said Trump 'is still responsible' for the post and subsequent gag order violation.
Trump's attorney Christopher Kise apologized on his behalf and claimed that the violation was "truly inadvertent," though Trump has a tendency to intentionally double-down on claims.
Engoron told Kise that his comments were "under advisement" and that Trump "is still responsible for what appears on the site."
"I want to make clear that Mr. Trump is responsible for the large machine, even if it is a large machine," the judge added.
Trump skipped court on Friday to attend a golf tournament at Doral in Miami, Florida.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
While Kise claimed that the post remaining on the campaign website was unintentional, it represented a pattern of spreading baseless or false claims against those he viewed as his enemies. In addition to posts on Truth Social, Trump has taken his claims to his website and campaign email list.
Engoron previously noted that Trump shared the Truth Social post in a campaign email blast when he initially issued the partial gag order.
Trump was not in court on Friday to hear the judge's admonishment, though he was in court earlier this week. While speaking to press at the courthouse, he claimed prosecutors wanted to keep him off the campaign trial — and then minutes later admitted he was traveling to his Miami golf club, Doral, for a tournament this weekend.
Powered by RedCircle
