Former President Donald Trump remains insistent on targeting witnesses and other individuals connected to the various civil and criminal investigations he is facing… and he remains under threat of potentially serious consequences if that continues.
In the context of a discussion about possible outcomes from his rhetorical attacks in a New York fraud case, Florida prosecutor Dave Aronberg — who is an outside observer — pointed to the possibility of jail in a different case for similar behavior by the former president. “Trump will continue thumbing his nose at the court, but don’t expect Judge Engoron to jail the former President. This is a civil case, so judge will escalate the fines but will not throw Trump in jail. Judge Chutkan, however, could do it if Trump continues to attack witnesses in the federal criminal case in Washington, DC,” Aronberg told Newsweek.
The federal case to which Aronberg is referring is the case from Special Counsel Jack Smith accusing the former president of attempted election interference. Prosecutors are currently pushing for the reactivation of a gag order that would block Trump, assuming the previous iteration of the older is generally upheld, from making public attacks on Smith, Smith’s staff, witnesses, and others. Beyond his highly publicized antagonism towards the federally serving Smith, Trump has also repeatedly gone after witnesses in the case — or individuals who could fill such a role.
In that category is former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, who Trump infamously suggested be executed, claiming there was some kind of historical precedent for the extreme act. Others include Mark Meadows, who news reports recently claimed had moved to provide some kind of information to prosecutors, with those reports followed by predictable ranting online from the ex-president. Chutkan granted an administrative stay of — meaning temporary halt to — her earlier gag order amid consideration of a longer-term stay while Trump pursued an appeal.
