Justice Juan Merchan expressed his regret that he lacked the power to impose a harsher punishment in a written ruling, stating that the fine might not be sufficient to discourage the wealthy businessman who became politician.
“Defendant is hereby warned that the Court will not tolerate willful violations of its lawful orders and that if necessary and appropriate under the circumstances, it will impose an incarceratory punishment,” said Merchan in a letter.
The gag order was put in place by Merchan to stop Trump from disparaging the witnesses and other parties associated with the case.
The fine, which Merchan claimed was $1,000 for each of nine statements made online that were against the order, fell just short of the $10,000 that the prosecution had sought for remarks that ridiculed potential witnesses and cast doubt on the objectivity of the jury.
