Former President Donald Trump was fined $5,000 on Friday by New York Judge Arthur Engoron for violating a partial gag order. The fine was issued after Trump failed to remove a social media post, which alleged an affair between one of Engoron’s law clerks and Senator Chuck Schumer. This information was reported by JURIST News.
The post in question contained disparaging and false statements about the law clerk who was working on the civil fraud case against Trump. The suit alleges that Trump and his sons made severe misrepresentations about their net worth to secure favorable loan agreements. New York Attorney General Letitia James initiated the suit, seeking $250 million in damages.
Trump’s post inaccurately stated that the law clerk, referred to as Schumer’s girlfriend, was managing the case against him. It included a photograph of Schumer and the clerk standing side by side, leading to vehement denials from Senator Schumer’s spokesperson regarding an affair.
Upon questioning from Judge Engoron, Trump claimed he had removed the post. However, the $5,000 fine was imposed after discovering the remarks were still posted on Trump’s campaign website. The judge also warned Trump about potential jail time if such disobedience persisted.
Despite the fine and warnings, the civil fraud case is not the only instance where Trump faces a gag order. DC Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan recently imposed a gag order on Trump, prohibiting him from making disparaging comments about potential witnesses in an election interference lawsuit. However, Chutkan temporarily paused this gag order to allow attorneys more time to argue whether it infringes on Trump’s First Amendment rights.