Among the alleged gag order violations are comments Trump made in the hallway outside the courtroom, where he has often spoken to reporters at the start and end of each day in court.
In one of those monologues, Trump again attacked his former attorney, Michael Cohen, as a “liar.”
“The defendant is talking about witnesses and the jury in this case, one right here outside this door,” said Conroy, the prosecutor. “This is the most critical time, the time the proceeding has to be protected.”
Conroy urged Judge Merchan to impose a $1,000 fine for each of the four alleged violations.
He said prosecutors weren’t yet seeking to have Trump jailed as punishment because the alleged violations at issue happened prior to Merchan ordering Trump on Tuesday to pay a $9,000 fine for nine previous gag order violations.
“Because we’d prefer to minimize disruption to this proceeding, we are not yet seeking jail, but the court’s decision this past Tuesday will inform the approach we take to future violations,” Conroy told the judge.
