Donald Trump could face jail if he doesn’t obey an expanded gag order in the Stormy Daniels hush money case, according to retired federal judge Shirley Scheindlin. According to Scheindlin, Trump has already received a warning to stop discussing the case before receiving a fine and going to jail. Justice Juan Merchan amended Trump’s gag order to include Merchan’s daughter Loren Merchan and said Trump had a history of attacking the family members of judges and attorneys.
New York prosecutors have charged Trump with 34 felonies, accusing him of falsifying business records and concealing hush-money payments made to adult-film actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, during his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all of his criminal charges and insists that his legal difficulties are part of a coordinated effort by Democrats to block him from returning to the White House.
Scheindlin said that Merchan will likely fine Trump if he violates the expanded gag order, just as Judge Arthur Engoron did in Trump’s New York fraud case. After a warning and a fine, the next step for Trump could be jail. She added that any judge would be reluctant to jail Trump for contempt, as it would only make him a martyr.
Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, again a week after a gag order was issued. The district attorney’s office argued that Trump’s “dangerous, violent, and reprehensible rhetoric fundamentally threatens the integrity” of the case and that Merchan’s original order should be expanded to protect family members of the court.