A New York judge has fined former US President Donald Trump $5,000 after a defamatory post about the chief justice was not removed from the candidate’s 2024 campaign website, even after receiving a judge’s order, The Hill reports.
However, Judge Arthur Engoron did not hold Trump in contempt of court but warned that violating the gag order he imposed after Trump’s Truth Social account posted could result in severe punishment, including stiffer financial penalties, contempt, or even imprisonment. in prison.
“Donald Trump has received extensive warning from this court regarding the potential consequences of violating the gag order. He specifically acknowledged that he understands and will abide by it,” Engoron said.
“Accordingly, it is no longer appropriate to issue further warnings; this court is well beyond the ‘warning’ stage,” he added.
The post, posted by Trump, mocked her as a “girlfriend” of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and included personal identifying information about her, The Hill reported.
Soon after learning of Trump’s post, Ergogan issued a limited gag order barring Trump or any other party in the case from posting or talking publicly about his employees.
He further ordered Trump to delete the post, but since it was removed from his Truth Social account, it remained there for 17 days on his campaign website.
Trump’s lawyer Chris Kise called it an inadvertent oversight after the incident and blamed the “very big machine” of Trump’s presidential campaign for allowing his deleted social media post to remain on his website.
Additionally, Engoron acknowledged Trump’s claim, saying his post was unintentional, and said he would give him the “benefit of the doubt.”
However, the gag order was still being violated, he warned, “In today’s overheated climate, outrageous falsehoods can, and in some cases have, lead to serious physical injury and worse,” The Hill reported.
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