Judge holds Trump in contempt, fines him $13,900 and raises threat of jail in hush money trial
Former United States president Donald Trump has been held in contempt of court and fined US$9000 ($13,864) for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case.
If he does it again, the judge warned on Tuesday, he could be jailed.
Prosecutors had alleged 10 violations, but New York Judge Juan M Merchan found there were nine. The ruling was a stinging rebuke for the Republican former president, who had insisted he was exercising his free speech rights.
Merchan wrote that Trump "is hereby warned that the Court will not tolerate continued wilful violations of its lawful orders and that if necessary and appropriate under the circumstances, it will impose an inc...
