Neal Katyal said that prosecutors in Manhattan aren’t looking to fine Trump as much as they want Judge Merchan to warn him that more gag order violations could mean jail.
Neal Katyal explained what prosecutors are looking for out of Trump’s gag order violation hearing, ” I think what possible argument Trump’s lawyers are gonna make to say he didn’t violate the gag order? I think he obviously did. So they’re instead gonna say the gag order is unconstitutional. It’s a violation of his First Amendment rights. These gag orders are imposed all the time in cases like this, and, you know, for the most important reasons. So I think the argument is going nowhere. The prosecutors here have just asked for a $1000 fine for each violation. But what they want is a stern warning for Trump that says if you do this again, you’re going to jail. And that’s really, you know, the ball game, which is, I think more, what’s the punishment gonna be? Not? Did he violate the gag order?”
Video:
Neal Katyal on what prosecutors are really looking for at gag order hearing, "The prosecutors here have just asked for $1000 fine for each violation. But what they want is a stern warning for Trump that says if you do this again, you're going to jail." pic.twitter.com/83ssiz21MT
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) April 21, 2024
Trump isn’t going to stop no matter how large the fine is. Donald Trump thinks that his only path to not being convicted in this case is to intimidate and tamper with the proceedings. The way stop Trump’s behavior is to threaten to toss him in jail.
The ex-president can’t post on Truth Social from Rikers. Trump is terrified of going to jail, so that would probably get him to stop trying to derail the trial.
A big fine won’t stop Trump. An angry judge won’t stop Trump, but threatening to stick him behind bars certainly will.
are bad for Trump and they appear to be getting worse.
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