Trump hush-money trial judge signals he may fine him again over gag order

The judge overseeing Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial on Thursday signaled he might impose more fines on the former U.S. president for violating a gag order that prohibits him from talking about witnesses and jurors, APA reports citing Reuters.

Justice Juan Merchan challenged a defense assertion that Trump did not violate the gag order when he said the Manhattan jury in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president was picked from a heavily Democratic area.

“I’m making an argument that he didn’t,” Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told the judge.

“Well I’m not agreeing with that argument,” Merchan responded without saying whether or when he would impose a fine.

Prosecutors are asking Merchan to fine Trump $4,000 for violating the gag order four times last week. In one instance, the Republican Trump said in a TV interview that "that jury was picked so fast - 95% Democrats. The area's mostly all Democrat."

"By speaking about the jury at all, he places this proceeding in jeopardy," prosecutor Christopher Conroy said.

Conroy said Trump also violated the gag order by calling his former lawyer Michael Cohen a liar and former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker a "nice guy." Pecker testified last week and Cohen is expected to be a crucial witness in the case.

Blanche said there was "no threat" in what Trump said about Pecker and said Cohen, in his social media comments, has been "inviting, and almost daring" Trump to respond to his comments about the trial.

Any penalty would follow a $9,000 fine Merchan imposed on Tuesday. Merchan said at that session that he might jail Trump if he continues to defy the gag order. Conroy said prosecutors were not yet asking for Trump to be jailed.

The gag order aims to prevent one of the world's most prominent people from intimidating witnesses, jurors and other participants in the trial. It does not prevent Trump from criticizing prosecutors or the judge himself.