2 weeks ago
The judge successful Donald Trump's New York hush money proceedings will perceive arguments to find whether nan erstwhile president further violated a gag bid successful nan lawsuit aft he was fined $9,000 for violations earlier this week. Pool photograph by Eduardo Munoz/UPI | License Photo
May 2 (UPI) -- The judge successful Donald Trump's hush-money proceedings will measurement further allegations that nan president has violated a gag bid successful nan lawsuit successful a proceeding Thursday.
During nan proceeding Judge Juan Merchan will focus connected statements Trump made to reporters successful nan courthouse hallway referring to his erstwhile lawyer Michael Cohen, a witnesser successful nan case. There are 4 caller instances of alleged gag rule usurpation including 2 comments astir Cohen, 1 astir nan assemblage and 1 astir witnesser David Pecker.
Merchan has ruled Trump had already violated nan bid 9 times and has imposed nan maximum good of $1,000 per violation.
The gag bid prevents Trump from statements that onslaught jurors, witnesses, counsel successful nan lawsuit different than nan District Attorney, tribunal staff, District Attorney staff, and family members of immoderate counsel aliases unit member.
The order is designed to protect those named from statements made to interfere pinch activity successful nan case. The purpose is to protect nan integrity of nan criminal proceeding and to shield proceedings participants from threats often made successful nan aftermath of Trump's nationalist attacks.
Following nan gag bid hearing, grounds will proceed successful nan proceedings pinch Keith Davidson, a lawyer who negotiated hush money deals to salary Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels to support their stories from going nationalist and hurting Trump's 2016 statesmanlike campaign.
Trump isn't connected proceedings for conscionable paying hush money to Daniels and McDougal. He's connected proceedings for allegedly falsifying business records to screen up nan payments and nan matter pinch Daniels to protect his 2016 predetermination campaign.
New York rule makes it a felony to falsify business records to screen up different crime, for illustration run finance aliases taxation law.
Davidson testified Tuesday conscionable up of nan 2016 predetermination he was hustling to get then-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to ligament nan hush money to Daniels successful return for her silence successful nan past days of nan campaign.
Davidson testified that he thought Cohen was trying to "kick nan tin down nan roadworthy until aft nan election."
Trump denies breaking nan law.
Prosecutors allege nan money paid to Daniels was disguised arsenic payments to Michael Cohen for ineligible services, which constitutes falsification of business records nether New York law.
Cohen pleaded blameworthy to his domiciled successful nan strategy and served time. He besides became a cooperating witnesser against Trump.
Since Cohen decided to cooperate pinch prosecutors to attest against Trump, Trump has publically attacked Cohen arsenic a liar. Cohen was convicted of lying to Congress.
But successful a video clip played successful tribunal Tuesday Trump is shown saying "Michael Cohen is simply a very talented lawyer. He's a bully lawyer successful my firm." Dr. Robert Browning, executive head of C-Span archives, verified that nan video showing Trump saying that was authentic.
