Trump hit with $9,000 fine for violating hush money trial gag order

Donald Trump has been fined $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order in his hush money trial for his ongoing public attacks against witnesses on his Truth Social.

Moments before a second week of witness testimony began, the judge overseeing the case issued a brief order from the bench on Tuesday finding him in contempt of court and ordering him to delete the posts.

In his written order, New York Justice Juan Merchan ordered Mr Trump to delete the posts and pay the fine by Friday.

Manhattan prosecutors accused Mr Trump of breaching a trial gag order at least 10 different posts on his Truth Social platform and on his campaign website, including posts targeting Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels.

Mr Trump’s former attorney and the adult film star – both central to thescheme at the heart of the case – are high-profile witnesses expected to testify about Mr Trump’s alleged plot to falsify business records to hide payments to Ms Daniels as part of a months-long scheme to bury politically compromising stories of his affairs to boost his election chances in 2016.

Last week, prosecutors alleged four more violations from within the first days of witness testimony alone, including statements Mr Trump gave just outside the courtroom’s doors.

Mr Trump’s ongoing statements that “specifically target individuals and the proceeding which this court’s order protects is a deliberate flouting of this court’s directives that warrants sanctions,” Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy wrote.

Judge Merchan will hold another hearing on the new alleged violations on 2 May.

On 23 April, defence attorney Todd Blanche argued that Mr Trump’s posts were responding to “political” attacks but failed to offer up any examples of what,