Manhattan DA wants Trump to face 30-day jail sentence if he violates gag order

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg called for former President Donald Trump to face severe consequences, including potential jail time, if he violates the gag order imposed by Judge Juan Merchan in the ongoing hush-money trial.

In a motion filed on Tuesday, Bragg's office suggested that additional fines or even a 30-day incarceration could be appropriate responses if Trump speaks publicly about jurors, court staff, or witnesses involved in the trial.

“This Court should again admonish defendant to comply with his obligations under the order. And finally, this Court should warn defendant that future violations of the Court’s restrictions on his extrajudicial statements can be punished not only with additional fines, but also with a term of incarceration of up to thirty days,” the DA's filing read.

Imagine going to jail over a tweet. DA Alvin Bragg wants to hurt Donald Trump as much as possible, and make him feel it. Today, Bragg filed a motion to hold Trump in contempt, accusing him of violating a gag order. Bragg wants to prevent Trump from speaking about the trial and… pic.twitter.com/zcNR36OY9s

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) April 16, 2024

The filing emphasized the critical importance of Trump immediately halting any conduct that would violate the court's April 1 order, which aims to protect the integrity of the ongoing trial. Bragg's office stated that "a finding of criminal contempt, imposition of sanctions, and stark warnings from this Court are the minimum remedies necessary to achieve this indispensable objective."

According to the motion, Trump has already violated the order on three separate occasions, each of which would carry a fine of $1,000. Bragg's office alleged that Trump's social media comments about former porn star Stormy Daniels and his former attorney Michael Cohen constitute attacks against "known witnesses" and "unquestionably violate the Court's April 1 order."

The district attorney further accused the former president of engaging in such attacks as a deliberate attempt to intimidate the court and impede the ongoings of the trial.

News:

Prosecutors release their written arguments for finding Trump in contempt for posts that they say "unquestionably" violate the gag order.

Full filing in the thread. pic.twitter.com/XdXfMYnZjB

— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) April 16, 2024

The trial's first day saw the dismissal of approximately 50 potential jurors, and Trump complained to reporters about Judge Merchan's decisions, including refusing to allow him to miss court for a Supreme Court hearing on presidential immunity and suggesting he could prevent Trump from attending his son Barron's graduation in mid-May.