“It appears that $1,000 fines are no deterrent. So, going forward, this court will have to consider a jail sentence,” says Merchan.
Next time, to jail. Judge Juan Merchan, who is leading the trial against Donald Trump for alleged violation of US electoral regulations, was not so direct, but almost. “It seems that thousand dollar fines do not serve as a deterrent. So, going forward, this court will have to consider a prison sentence,” Merchan told Trump after impose a new fine of one thousand dollars (930 euros) for making statements about the process.
On Tuesday of last week, Merchan fined the former president $9,000 (8,350 euros) for many other ruptures of its order. But the judge admitted that, given Trump’s fortune, these amounts are ridiculous (leaving aside the fact that Justice has no way to collect them if Trump refuses to pay them). The wealth of the former president and now again candidate for the White House was in May 6,870 million eurosAccording to the magazine Forbesthanks largely to the success of the IPO of its social network, Truth, whose titles have been acquired mainly by Trump followers.
Over the weekend, however, Trump once again broke the judge’s orders, when, in a telephone interview with the Real America’s Voice radio network, accused the jury of being made up “almost entirely of Democrats”, that is, members of the rival party of the Republican, to which Trump belongs. “It is a very unfair situation,” concluded the former president. Trump is prohibited from speaking to anyone outside of his trial legal team, an order he has disobeyed by attacking and insulting witnesses, jurors and even Merchan’s daughter.
Merchan has indicated on several occasions that, of the statements that Trump can make, that of criticize the jury is the worst, because delegitimizes the entire process. So in this Monday’s session the judge spoke harshly to the accused and told him that, although a prison sentence was “the last thing I want,” perhaps he should resort to it “to protect the dignity of the judicial system.”
Merchan admitted that the decision would have a tremendous impact because “You are the last president of the United States, and possibly the next”, but he has implied that he would not hesitate to do so. Trump just looked at the judge as he spoke to him. When Merchan finished, the former president shook his head.
