Trump's Criminal Trial Resumes: Former President Condemns 'Political Witch Hunt' and Faces Contempt Charges

In a continued escalation of the unprecedented criminal trial, former President Donald Trump has once again been held in contempt of court and fined for violating a gag order. Trump denounces the case as a "political witch hunt" while the prosecution enters its 10th week of presenting evidence.

The criminal trial of former President Donald Trump resumed Tuesday morning, bringing fresh drama and escalating tensions. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for 2024, faces 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree stemming from an investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

At the start of the day's proceedings, Judge Juan Merchan addressed remaining alleged gag order violations and once again found Trump in contempt. Merchan imposed a gag order on Trump before the trial began, prohibiting him from making public statements about witnesses, counsel, or court staff related to the case. However, Trump has repeatedly violated the order through posts on his social media platform, Truth Social.

Merchan fined Trump an additional $1,000 and warned that he would consider a jail sentence for future violations. "The magnitude of that decision is not lost on me," Merchan said. "Your continued willful violation of the court's order... will not be allowed to continue."

Trump and his defense attorneys have argued that the gag order violates his First Amendment rights. However, Merchan has maintained that the order is necessary to ensure a fair trial. To date, Trump has been fined a total of $10,000 for gag order violations.

On Monday, the prosecution called Jeff McConney, former senior vice president controller at the Trump Organization, to the stand. McConney testified that he was directed by then-Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg to give ex-Trump attorney Michael Cohen $35,000 per month. McConney said the payments were made from Trump's personal account, totaling $420,000.

However, McConney stated that Trump himself did not personally task him with making the payments. "Michael Cohen was a lawyer?" Trump defense attorney Emil Bove asked McConney. "Sure, yes," McConney responded. "And payments to lawyers by the Trump Organization are legal expenses, right?" "Yes," said McConney. "President Trump did not ask you to do any of the things you just described... correct?" Bove asked. "He did not," McConney replied.

The prosecution also called Deborah Tarasoff, a Trump Organization accounts payable supervisor, who allegedly helped arrange hush money payments to Cohen. Tarasoff labeled the payments as "legal expenses" or "retainer" at the time they were made. She testified that "only Mr. Trump" could sign checks from his personal account and that if he "didn't want to sign a check, he didn't sign it."

The prosecution estimated that it would need at least two to three more weeks to present its case. Trump expressed frustration at the extended timeline, claiming that the prosecution was attempting to keep him off the campaign trail. "This is all this is about. This is about election interference," Trump said.

After court, Trump addressed Merchan's threat of jail time for gag order violations. He told reporters that he would "make the sacrifice" of a prison sentence to defend free speech. "Our Constitution is much more important than jail. It's not even close," Trump said.

The trial is expected to continue throughout May. The jury will ultimately decide whether Trump knowingly falsified business records in connection with alleged hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to silence her about an alleged 2006 extramarital affair with Trump.