New York judge fines and threatens to jail Trump

A New York judge fined Mr Trump $5,000 for violating a ban on commenting on court personnel, warning of jail time if he violates it again.

"Mr. Donald Trump has been given a very clear warning from the court about the consequences of violating the comment ban. He has confirmed that he understands and commits to comply with this. Therefore, issuing a warning is no longer appropriate. The court has long since passed the warning stage," Judge Arthur Engoron commented on October 20, when announcing the $5,000 fine for the former US president.

The fines came as Mr. Trump was tried in Manhattan Supreme Court in New York on charges of financial fraud, inflating the value of his business empire for personal gain. Mr. Trump faces heavy fines and several business bans in this civil case.

The ban on commenting on court personnel was issued by Judge Engoron on October 3 and applies to all parties involved in the case, when Mr. Trump attacked a court clerk.

Former President Donald Trump in New York on October 4. Photo: AFP — Former President Donald Trump in New York on October 4. Photo: *AFP*

In a post on the social network Truth Social, Mr. Trump called the female court clerk the "girlfriend" of Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic majority leader in the US Senate, and posted a picture of the two standing together.

Mr. Trump removed the post from his personal account shortly after the comment ban was issued, but the content and images remained on his campaign page for more than two weeks. Judge Engoron called this action a “blatant violation” of the court order.

"Any future violations, whether intentional or unintentional, will be subject to more severe sanctions, including heavier administrative fines, additional contempt of court charges against Donald Trump, and possible jail time," Judge Engoron warned.

Chris Kise, a lawyer representing Mr Trump, apologized to Mr Engoron. He explained that the campaign team had made a mistake and that his client had not participated in sharing campaign content. He asserted that the former US president "did not intentionally evade or ignore the court order".

Judge Engoron said he would consider Kise's explanation, but stressed that Mr. Trump himself was responsible for his campaign, no matter how cumbersome the campaign apparatus was.

He echoed the court's concerns that false information risks inflaming public opinion and leading to serious consequences.

New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against Trump and his associates in September 2022, accusing them of "inflating" their assets by 17-35%, equivalent to about 812 million to 2.2 billion USD, with banks and insurance companies during the period 2011-2021 to enjoy more favorable loans and insurance contracts.

The New York Attorney General's Office proposed administratively fining Mr. Trump and his associates $250 million and banning them from doing business in New York.

Judge Engoron announced on September 26 that the Trump Organization's business license in New York State would be revoked. The appeals court later issued a temporary stay on revoking the license pending an appeal from the former US president.

In addition to the civil lawsuit in New York, Mr. Trump is facing four criminal trials for actions before, during and after his presidency, including two state cases in New York and Georgia and two federal cases in Florida and Washington.

Thanh Danh (According to CNN, CNBC )

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