After being previously warned to not violate the gag order put on him by Judge Arthur Engoron, former president Donald Trump (R) has been fined $10,000 for disobeying the rule.
After hearing his former attorney Michael Cohen's testimony, Trump made statements, both in-person and on social media, claiming that someone very "partisan" was sitting next to the judge. These accusations put the former president in trouble as he ran the risk of receiving a financial penalty for his words.
Judge Engoron found Trump's comments to be directed at his law clerk, which he deemed to be unacceptable. Trump, however, claimed that his comments were targeted at the judge's law clerk.
Engoron awarded him a penalty of $10,000 and gave him a stern warning to not do it again.
Later, Trump's lawyer Alina Habba asked the judge for a direct verdict based on Cohen's testimony that states Trump never directly told him to inflate his net worth. However, this motion was dismissed, and a visibly red and angry Trump stormed out the courtroom.
Much of Trump's gripe with the case has centered around Cohen. The discontent defendant has labeled Cohen as a "rat" and a "liar". Furthermore, the two have a controversial history together.
Cohen has been testifying in Trump's civil fraud trial in which he is being accused of inflating his net worth.
Over the years, Trump has been known to share his fluctuating billionaire status. However, it has been revealed that the specific amount of money that Trump holds in assets has been subject to change depending on how he attempted to represent himself.
On Oct. 24, Cohen testified that the former president would deny having a $4.5 billion net worth and claim that his net worth was closer to $6 billion. These numbers were allegedly drawn from “comparables” in which Trump based his property values on the value of other—allegedly more expensive—properties.
Trump was stated to be very upset with Cohen during the trial. He is noted as crossing his arms, “leaning forward”, and becoming red in color.
Cohen served prison time in 2018 for tax evasion and for his role in the paying of hush money to a pornographic video actress.
