The former American president can now no longer afford verbal blunders to relatives of a New York judge in the upcoming hush money trial. A court decided this on Monday (local time) after Trump labeled the judge’s daughter as a ‘rabid Trump hater’ in a post on social media. In another case, he placed a deposit of $175 million (163 million euros) to avoid seizure of assets.
Trump is already prohibited from making public statements about witnesses or court personnel. “All citizens called upon to participate in this trial, whether as jurors, witnesses or in any other capacity, must now be concerned not only about their own personal safety, but also about the safety and possibility of personal attacks on their relatives. This reality cannot be overstated,” Judge Juan Merchan said of the expanded requirements for public testimony.
Prosecutors saw Trump’s attempts at intimidation
New York prosecutors had argued that Trump was trying to intimidate potential witnesses and asked the judge to clarify that the previous requirements should also apply to relatives of witnesses or court staff. They were responding to his March 28 social media post in which he disparaged Merchan’s daughter and called for the judge to be removed from the case.
Violations may result in a fine or imprisonment
Susan Necheles, Trump’s attorney in the hush money scandal, declined to comment on the new rule. Trump’s lawyers had tried unsuccessfully to have the judge removed from the case. The ex-president could face a fine or prison sentence if he violates the imposed ‘snout’.
Donald Trump will stand trial in a New York court in Manhattan starting April 15 for paying porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 before the 2016 election to buy her silence about an alleged sexual relationship. The case is one of four criminal charges Trump faces.
On another legal front, Trump has now managed to provide the required certainty – this is a civil case for corporate fraud. The trial found Trump and his sons guilty of artificially inflating the assets of their real estate empire over the years to obtain favorable terms from banks and insurance companies. As a result, Trump was fined approximately $355 million plus interest in February, totaling approximately $454 million.
Now green light for appeal procedure
Because he appealed, he did not have to pay the fine for the time being. However, he had to pay the $175 million bail – equivalent to a down payment – covered by an insurance company by Thursday for the appeal process to take place.
Source: Krone
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