Former President of the United States is on trial for alleged payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels
New York judge Juan Merchan fined former President of the United States Donald Trump US$9,000 and said he would consider arresting the Republican for violating the gag order regarding this Tuesday’s trial (April 30, 2024).
In recent days, Trump has made 9 posts about the trial on his profile on his social network, Truth Social, according to the US court. Read the full decision (PDF – 4.8 MB, in English).
The Republican is accused of illegally making payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the election campaign that elected him president in 2016, to keep a former extramarital relationship secret. He denies the accusations.
After being fined, Judge Merchan also stated that Donald Trump could be arrested if he again failed to comply with court orders not to comment on the trial.
“The defendant is advised that the Court will not tolerate continued willful violations of its lawful orders and that, if necessary and appropriate under the circumstances, it will impose an incarceratory punishment,” Merchan stated in his decision.
Trump, however, ignored the judge’s decision and made new posts about the trial. In one of them, he said the process is a “total witch hunt”.
“The trial is moving like a speeding bullet because the judge is trying so hard to make all his friends happy. The game is rigged, crooked and, above all, without a doubt, conflicting. It’s a shame for our country – they took away my right to freedom of expression. Interference in elections”declared Trump in his profile on Truth Social in the early evening of this Tuesday.
UNDERSTAND THE STORMY DANIELS CASE
The 1st criminal trial against former President of the United States Donald Trump began on April 15, in New York. The accusations weigh on Trump for allegedly covering up a payment made to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the election campaign that led him to the presidency in 2016 so that she would not disclose an extramarital affair between the two.
The indictment, released on March 30, 2023, contains 34 accusations against Trump for “falsification of business records in the 1st degree”. Read the full document (PDF, in English – 121 kB).
Prosecutors say the payment to Daniels constituted an illegal expenditure for Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, violating federal and state election laws. Furthermore, the prosecution seeks to convince the jury that the Republican tried to circumvent New York tax law by manipulating records to avoid paying taxes.
To make payments to the actress, Trump allegedly manipulated internal records from his company, the Trump Organization, to cover up payments made to his lawyer, Michael Cohen, who allegedly acted to conceal the former’s extramarital affairs. president, including those involving Stormy Daniels.
The Republican pleaded not guilty. Trump and his lawyers maintain that the payments made to Cohen were legitimate legal expenses and were not linked to an attempt to cover up an extramarital affair.
Source: https://www.poder360.com.br/internacional/juiz-multa-trump-por-desacato-e-considera-prender-republicano/
