Former President Donald Trump has been fined $10,000 for violating a gag order by the judge presiding over the $250 million fraud trial against him and his company.
Judge Arthur Engoron handed down the fine after calling Trump to testify under oath about comments he made earlier in the day saying the judge is “partisan” adding the “person who is very partisan sitting alongside him, perhaps even more partisan than he is.”
“To whom were you referring?” Engoron asked.
“You and Cohen,” Trump replied.
“Are you sure that you didn’t mean the person on the other side, my principal law clerk?” Engoron asked.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Trump said.
Engoron imposed the gag order after Trump’s Truth Social account called the clerk Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) “girlfriend” and included personally identifying information about her,” according to the Hill. Trump was ordered to take down the post, which he did.
However, the post remained on Trump’s campaign website for an additional 17 days. When Engoron was informed of that, he imposed a $5,000 fine on Trump for violating the order.
Engoron said Wednesday that he did not find Trump’s testimony credible and issued his order to fine him $10,000.
Trump later stormed out of the courtroom.
