Ahead of a hearing set for later this week, prosecutors in the New York City criminal case accusing former President Donald Trump of the falsification of business records in connection to hush money from before the 2016 elections are using recent commentary from the ex-White House occupant in the courthouse itself to seek penalties.
Part of a list of alleged violations by Trump of a gag order is a rant from last week to the media about Michael Cohen. “And when are they going to look at all the lies and the last trial – he got caught lying in the last trial,” Trump said, as highlighted by ABC News.
Allegations of lying aside, Cohen is a former Trump ally who was closely involved in the hush money arrangements driving this case and is expected to testify. Cohen already faced his own prosecution at the federal level on campaign finance law violations, because the deal — which provided funds to a woman named Stormy Daniels — was taken as a covert plot to boost Trump’s campaign. Timing-wise, that means Trump’s 2016 campaign for president specifically.
Trump’s comments in the courthouse to members of the media have been incessant as this trial has recently moved forward. Recently, they took a bizarre turn with a suggestion from the former president that there’s a secret plot to make the courtroom cold. Trump is compelled to attend the proceedings — thereby, in his imagining, suffering the consequences of this plot — because of its criminal nature.
Trump could face financial penalties if the judge agrees to hold him in contempt over this series of alleged violations of the judge’s gag order. The order protects witnesses, jurors, and others connected to the case — whether closely or less so, like some figures’ families. The addition of that category came only after Trump was incessantly targeting a daughter of the judge in public remarks.
