Prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office filed a motion on Tuesday to hold former President Donald Trump in contempt for recent Truth Social posts that they contend violate a gag order imposed by New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan.
As first reported by Politico, the motions states that Trump's "recent social media posts plainly violate the order because they target known witnesses concerning their participation in this criminal proceeding. And defendant's violations were knowing and willful — indeed, they are the latest in what this Court has already recognized as a deliverable strategy to impede this criminal trial."
The motion came days after Merchan expanded a previous gag order on Trump to limit his "inflammatory" speech. Trump subsequently lashed out at his former attorney Michael Cohen and adult entertainer Stormy Daniels, posting on Truth Social on Wednesday that they were "two sleaze bags who have with their lies and misrepresentations, cost our Country dearly!"
The motion states that Trump's violation of the gag order is "willful: a continuation of conduct that this Court has already found to be deliberate and intended to intimidate this Court and impede the orderly administration of this trial."
The Trump case centers around allegations that Trump had his then-lawyer Cohen make payments to Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal on the condition they refrain from discussing affairs that Trump has denied. Trump has been accused of falsifying business records to conceal the payments.
The motion requests that "upon finding of criminal contempt" the court imposes sanctions on Trump by fining him $1000 for each of his gag order violations or 30 days in jail, or both. Murchan has set a date of April 23 for a hearing on the gag order violations and has given Trump's attorneys until this Friday to submit a written response.