The judge overseeing a civil trial accusing former President Donald Trump and his company of fraud imposed a gag order Tuesday, after the former president posted a disparaging social media post about one of the judge’s clerks.
Former President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he arrives at New York State Supreme court for ... [+]
The gag order prohibits parties in the case—including but not limited to Trump—from “posting, emailing or speaking publicly” about members of the New York City court’s staff, Politico reports.
Judge Arthur Engoron imposed the gag order Tuesday on the second day of Trump’s trial, in which New York Attorney General Letitia James accuses the former president and his company of fraudulently inflating the value of their assets to obtain more favorable business deals and boost Trump’s net worth.
The gag order came after Trump posted on Truth Social about one of Engoron’s clerks, which called her “[Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer’s girlfriend,” sharing a picture of her with the lawmaker, and linked to the clerk’s Instagram account.
The post was later removed, which the Associated Press notes came after Trump, his attorneys and the AG’s attorneys had a closed-door meeting during the trial’s lunch break.
The trial is set to continue through December—with Trump expected to testify—and could result in Trump and his business associates facing such penalties as a $250 million fine and prohibitions on commercial real estate acquisitions or running a New York business for the next five years. Engoron has also threatened “serious sanctions” should any parties in the case violate the gag order, Law360 reports.
This story is breaking and will be updated.