Trump ordered to pay $9,000 for violating gag order in criminal hush money trial

Former President Donald Trump has been held in contempt of the court and fined $9,000 for violating a gag order aimed at protecting witnesses and jurors in his Manhattan criminal trial.

Prosecutors in Trump's criminal trial last month asked Merchan to fine him $10,000 — $1,000 each for 10 posts — for violating a gag order and rule Trump in contempt of court. Merchan on Tuesday fined Trump for nine of those posts.

Trump was ordered to pay the money by Friday, May 3, and remove seven offending posts from his Truth Social account, and two posts from his campaign website by 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday.

"It is critically important that Defendant's legitimate free speech rights not be curtailed, that he be able to fully campaign for the office which he seeks and that he be able to respond and defend himself against political attacks," Merchan wrote in his order. "It is of utmost importance to this Court that the Expanded Order not be used as a sword instead of a shield by potential witnesses."

But Merchan also warned Trump that the court "will not tolerate continued willful violations of its lawful orders and that if necessary and appropriate under the circumstances, it will impose an incarceratory punishment." In other words, the court must "consider whether in some instances, jail may be a necessary punishment."

Last week, prosecutors asked Merchan to hold Trump in contempt for 10 posts made on Trump's Truth Social profile and his official campaign profile about potential witnesses in the case, including former lawyer Michael Cohen and adult film star Stormy Daniels; among those 10 posts was one that echoed Fox News host Jesse Waters' opinion that "undercover liberal activist" were "lying to the judge in order to get on the Trump