Judge Holds Trump in Contempt of Court, Fines Him $9,000 for Violating Gag Order

New York Judge Juan Merchan fined Donald Trump $9,000 on Tuesday for contempt of court for violating a gag order nine times by publicly attacking witnesses and jurors in his hush money criminal trial. Merchan warned future violations could result in jail time for the former president. Later on Tuesday, Keith Davidson, the lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, testified during Trump’s criminal trial about his dealings with Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen. Prosecutors showed jurors the wire transfer authorization form Cohen used to send $130,000 to Davidson on October 27, 2016, to prevent Daniels from going public about her affair with Trump before the 2016 election.