Former President Donald Trump faced a $5,000 penalty this Friday due to a derogatory post concerning a court official related to his civil fraud trial in New York.
The post remained accessible on his campaign’s website even after a judge’s directive to have it removed, The Associated Press reports.
While avoiding charging Trump with contempt at this moment, Judge Arthur Engoron highlighted his authority to do so in the future.
This could even lead to incarceration for Trump, especially if he breaches the ongoing order that restricts participants from launching personal attacks against the court’s personnel.
In his formal order, Engoron stated, “Make no mistake: future violations, whether intentional or unintentional, will subject the violator to far more severe sanctions, which may include steeper financial penalties, holding Donald Trump in contempt of court, and possibly imprisoning him.”
Despite this being a “first time violation,” the judge emphasized that he is “way beyond the ‘warning’ stage.”
The post’s continued presence on the website was allegedly an oversight, as noted by Trump’s legal representative, Christopher Kise.
Kise attributed the delay in removal to the vast infrastructure of Trump’s campaign, asserting it was an “unintentional oversight.”
The former president, though absent from the court hearing on Friday, had been present earlier that week.
Interestingly, Trump’s criticisms this week targeted both Judge Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Engoron’s existing gag order does not cover either of them.
However, Engoron was clear in holding Trump accountable, stating, “I want to be clear that Donald Trump is still responsible for the large machine even if it’s a large machine.”
The initial post, which has since been removed, took a shot at principal law clerk Allison Greenfield on Trump’s Truth Social platform.
Trump was promptly ordered to erase the post, which included an unfounded hint regarding Greenfield’s personal life.
The judge had previously cautioned about the potential of “serious sanctions” if the gag order was violated.
Engoron further emphasized the importance of restraint, noting, “In the current overheated climate, incendiary untruths can, and in some cases already have, led to serious physical harm, and worse.”
Before its removal, Trump’s team had disseminated the contentious post via email to approximately 25,800 subscribers.
The message was subsequently automatically archived on Trump’s official site.
Kise revealed that of those who received the email, only 6,700 opened it and a mere 3,700 visitors viewed the post on the website.
He reiterated, “What happened appears truly inadvertent” and termed the archiving as “an unfortunate part of the campaign process.”
