During a recent discussion on MSNBC, The New York Times journalist Kate Christobek agreed that former President Donald Trump is “rattled” by the prospect of going to prison, a scenario lending that possibility some distinct credibility if he’s really worried about all that going down.
“I certainly think that some of the great reporting of my colleagues at The New York Times has shown that Trump is rattled about the possibility of potentially going to jail, both through the contempt [hearings] — [possibly] a gag order violation, or ultimately at the end of this trial. And so, yes, prosecutors have yet to ask for that as a sanction here, but they have asked Justice Juan Merchan to say that jail-time could be possible — that maybe he’ll go with fines initially, but that ultimately, if [Trump] continues violating the gag order, that jail-time would be a distinct possibility,” said Christobek on MSNBC.
Trump has another hearing that’s coming up later this week on allegations from prosecutors that he violated the gag order amid the New York City criminal case accusing the former president of falsifying business records in connection with hush money from before the 2016 elections. The order broadly protects witnesses, jurors, and others, and Trump has invoked such individuals in remarks recently made/shared publicly, whether complaints involving the jury in an interview and on social media or a courthouse rant about expected trial witness Michael Cohen, formerly an ally to Trump.
Trump is compelled to attend the trial proceedings, which are set to continue Tuesday with additional trial testimony. Some of what was coming up included additional questioning of a banking industry figure who’d previously worked with Cohen, who was involved in the hush money arrangements that helped spur this case. (Separately, Cohen was prosecuted federally.) Testimony from tabloid figure David Pecker — also connected to this — seemingly has concluded, for now.
