Former President Donald Trump has been found in contempt of court for a second time by a New York judge overseeing his hush-money trial.
On Monday, judge Juan Merchan said that Trump had violated a gag order with additional social media posts about witnesses in the case, and will consider jail if there are additional violations.
Merchan:
— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) May 6, 2024
"The last thing that I want to do is to put you in jail," calling it a last resort.
The judge notes that Trump is a former president and possibly a future one.
"It appears that the $1,000 fines are not serving as a deterrent," said Merchan. "Mr. Trump, I want you to understand the last thing I want to do is put you in jail."
"The magnitude of such a decision is not lost on me, but at the end of the day, I have a job to do."
Last week, Merchan fined Trump $9,000 and held the former president in criminal contempt of court for violating the gag order nine times.