Trump’s attorneys asked the judge to reconsider his punishment against the former president.
Topline
New York Judge Arthur Engoron upheld his decision to fine former President Donald Trump $10,000 for violating a gag order, saying Thursday he has a right to defend his staff from Trump’s attacks after the ex-president’s attorneys asked him to reconsider his sanctions.Key Facts
Engoron fined Trump $10,000 on Wednesday for his second violation of the judge’s gag order, which bars parties in the case from speaking publicly about court staff and was imposed in early October after Trump made a disparaging post about the judge’s law clerk, which insinuated she was politically biased against the ex-president.
Trump was fined Wednesday after commenting to the press that the judge had a “person who is very partisan sitting alongside him, perhaps more partisan than he is,” as the clerk he previously criticized was sitting next to the judge—though Trump claimed he was instead talking about his ex-attorney Michael Cohen, who was testifying.
Trump attorney Christopher Kise asked Engoron on Thursday to reconsider the order, multiple outlets reported, arguing that Trump wasn’t referring to the clerk and that even if he was, the gag order is “constitutionally infirm” and infringes on the ex-president’s freedom of speech.
Engoron said he would review Trump’s remarks again, but then followed up after a break in the trial Thursday to say he had reviewed the video of Trump’s remarks and the fine will stand, ABC News reported.
