By Jerald Jimenez
Apr 16, 2024, 1:38 PM EDT
Former President Donald Trump could face contempt of court charges after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg filed a motion Tuesday alleging that Trump had violated a court-imposed gag order.
Bragg’s motion comes after Trump allegedly posted on social media about two well-known witnesses in his criminal trial, Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels. The prosecutor specifies that these publications constitute a direct violation of the silence order imposed by Manhattan Judge Juan Merchán.
Merchán had imposed the gag order on Trump last month, citing “previous extrajudicial statements” that, according to him, represented “a sufficient risk to the administration of justice.”
The order prohibited Trump from making or directing others to make public statements about witnesses, attorneys in the case, court staff, district attorney staff or family members of staff, except for Bragg.
Likewise, the judge prohibited Trump from making or instructing others to make public statements about any potential jurors or selected jurors. During the first day of the criminal trial and the start of jury selection, Manhattan prosecutors suggested that Trump had violated the order on three separate occasions on social media.
The prosecutor is urging Merchán to warn Trump that “future violations” of the gag order can be punished “not only with additional fines, but also with a prison sentence of up to thirty days.” Prosecutors have recommended that Trump should be fined $3,000 for the three alleged violations of the gag order: $1,000 for each violation.
Bragg pointed to an April 10 social media post as the first statement that violated the order. In the post, Trump shared a statement from Michael Avenatti, an attorney who previously represented adult film actress Stormy Daniels.