The judge presiding over the corporate fraud trial against former President Donald Trump in New York threatened this Friday to imprison him for violating an order he imposed more than two weeks ago prohibiting him from posting messages on the Internet about court personnel.
The judge, Arthur Engoron, admonished Trump on October 2 with a “gag order” after he posted a photo of his secretary with a personal attack on his Truth Social network; Although the former president deleted that publication from the social network, a copy remained on his political campaign website until last night.
Engoron, who called Trump’s message about his secretary “false and denigrating,” said that this Thursday he learned that it had remained visible on the campaign website for 17 days, and was only removed after the court sent him an email, which he considered “a flagrant violation of the gag order,” according to the NBC channel.
“Incendiary lies can and have led to serious physical harm. I will allow the defendant to explain why this should not result in serious penalties or possibly jail time,” he added.
Trump’s lawyer, Christopher Kise, said it was an oversight and apologized on behalf of his client, explaining that he removed the publication from Truth Social, but no one took care of removing it from the website. The judge responded that he will take it into account, but the former president is responsible for the “great machinery” under his command.
Trump is accused, along with two of his sons and two Trump Organization executives, of inflating the value of the company’s assets for years to obtain favorable terms with banks and insurers, and the judge has already ruled that he is responsible for the charge of persistent fraud before the trial begins, summarily.
The former president has appeared in person for several days, in which he has taken the opportunity to address the media and attack the case, against the New York Prosecutor’s Office, which is promoting it, and against the judge himself, since he considers them to be participants in a ” “witch hunt” of the Democratic Party and interfering in its political campaign.
In this civil trial, several charges related to fraud are settled, such as document falsification. In addition, the Prosecutor’s Office estimates compensation at $250 million and a veto on his business in New York, for which the judge has already ordered that his business licenses be suspended.
New York’s “gag order” against Trump joins another similar one imposed by a judge in the criminal case he faces in Washington DC, related to interference in the last elections, and in which he is prohibited from speaking about potential witnesses or disqualify prosecutors.
