Last Updated on October 20, 2023
Leftist Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron is threatening to throw President Trump in jail for a “blatant violation” of the gag order he put on the $250 million civil case brought by Democrat New York State Attorney General Leticia James, who campaigned on finding a way to toss Trump in jail.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron asked President Trump’s lawyers to explain to the court why he shouldn’t be fined or “imprisoned” for allegedly violating a gag order that Engoron put on the case, barring Trump from speaking about certain aspects of it, in what many have called a blatant instance of election meddling from the left-wing judge.
“I will now grant defendants the opportunity to explain why this blatant violation of the gag order should not result in serious sanctions including financial penalties, holding Donald Trump in contempt, or possibly imprisoning him,” Engoron said as the trial convened on Friday.
“There was no intention to evade or circumvent or ignore the order,” Trump attorney Christopher Kise told Engoron.
“But that’s been taken down…There were no subsequent postings.”
Though President Trump was not “imprisoned” by Engoron, his threat marks the latest escalation in an unprecedented judicial effort among Democrats to stop his 2024 campaign.
Engoron issued the gag order weeks ago after President Trump made a post to Truth Social linking court clerk Alison R. Greenfield to Democrat New York Senator Chuck Schumer. The judge ordered that the post be removed from the internet, but apparently found that it still appeared online at some point after the gag order was issued, prompting his threat.
As mentioned, Trump links Manhattan court clerk Alison R. Greenfield to left-wing Senator Chuck Schumer in the post, calling her his “girlfriend” and including a weblink to Greenfield’s Instagram.
Trump and his defense team have reportedly pegged Greenfield as a radical anti-Trumper, and Trump accused her in the Truth Social post of “running” the trial herself.
“How disgraceful! This case should be dismissed immediately!!” Trump posted.
