Judge Arthur Engoron issued a partial gag order against the former president on October 3, 2023, after Trump slammed the judge’s law clerk, Allison Greenfield, on social media.
The Republican presidential aspirant shared a post featuring Greenfield and US Senate Majority leader, Chuck Schumer. He hinted in the post that the clerk had a personal relationship with the Democrat and was therefore unfit to work with the judge in his case.
Engoron responded by slamming Trump with a partial gag order, warning him to desist from publicly speaking about court staff members or face stiff consequences.
However, during a mid-morning break on Wednesday, Trump made another remark to pressmen at the trial saying, “a person who is very partisan” is “sitting alongside” the judge in his case.
When the trial resumed for the day, the judge made Trump testify on oath and answer questions regarding his mid-morning break remarks, CBS News reports.
Trump admitted to making the statement but said he was referring to another person seated by the other side of the judge.
Engoron ruled that Trump had violated the gag order and promptly issued the former president a $10,000 fine after the testimony.
This will be the second time Trump is fined for the same violation. He was ordered to pay $5,000 on Friday, for keeping up the derogatory post about Greenfield on his social media account. The judge threatened the former president with stiffer punishment, including possible jail time if the violation was repeated in future.
Trump and his two eldest sons are currently facing charges of fraud in New York after they allegedly inflated the value of the real estate assets of the Trump Organization to receive more favourable bank loans and insurance terms.
