Justice Juan Merchan started the 12th day of Donald Trump’s criminal trial by threatening to send the former president to jail, even as he emphasized that he really doesn’t want to. If Trump keeps violating the court-imposed gag order, Merchan said, he would have no other choice.
Merchan ruled Monday morning that Trump violated the gag order for a 10th time — but said three other violations alleged by prosecutors didn’t quite cross the line. The gag bars Trump from commenting on witnesses, jurors and prosecutors in the hush money-records falsification trial, as well as family members of the judge or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
