The mayor of New York, Democrat Eric Adams, stated this Tuesday (05/07/2024) that the Rikers Island prison is “prepared” to receive Donald Trump if the former US president is sentenced to prison for violating the ‘gag order’. ‘ which he faces in his criminal trial in Manhattan.
Adams also referred to his “incredible commissioner” at the New York Department of Corrections, Lynelle Maginley-Liddie, and her team, whom he said will be “ready” if the time comes.
“They will be prepared to deal with the situation (…) When it comes to applying the law, we have to adapt to whatever comes. We don’t want to talk about hypotheses, but we have professionals there and they are prepared to receive everyone,” said Adams. in a press conference after being asked about the alleged case of the former president being sent to prison.
Within the framework of the criminal trial against Trump in New York, in which he is accused of falsifying accounting records to buy the silence of the porn actress Stormy Daniels – with whom he would have had an ‘affair’ – and thus protect his campaign from In 2016, Judge Juan Merchan fined the politician twice for violating the ‘gag order’ and warned him about the possibility of imprisoning him.
Former porn actress narrated her alleged sexual encounter with Trump
Former porn film actress Stormy Daniels, at the center of the case that has put Trump in the dock, described in great detail this Tuesday her alleged sexual encounter in 2006 in a hotel.
Trump, 77, is accused of falsifying 34 accounting documents to hide the payment of $130,000 intended to buy Daniels’ silence, in the middle of the final stretch of the 2016 elections, which the Republican magnate won against Hillary Clinton.
Daniels’ testimony was one of the most anticipated in this trial that has entered its third week and has shed light behind the scenes of his 2016 campaign when past sexual scandals stalked him.
“The prosecution calls Stormy Daniels,” said prosecutor Susan Hoffinger, before the impassive gaze of the mogul, dressed in a blue suit and gold tie, flanked by his lawyers in the ancient Manhattan courtroom.
What followed was graphic testimony about the sexual encounter Daniels said she had with Trump – his underwear, the sexual position, the fact that he didn’t use a condom – while the former president watched silently, unfazed.
Fined and threatened by the judge
The judge in charge sanctioned him again this Monday with 1,000 dollars for contempt (about 935 euros), since the former president has continued to publicly accuse those involved in the process opened in New York, despite being prohibited from doing so.
“The last thing I want is to put you in jail. You are the former president of the United States and possibly the next president as well, but I have a job to do and part of that job is to protect the dignity of the judicial system,” Merchan snapped. yesterday.
In fact, the judge already fined Trump $9,000 last week, considering punishable several public statements on his social network, Truth Social, and on his campaign website, in which he attacked some of the witnesses.
If he enters prison, he would become the first former president behind bars, as he is already the first criminally accused, facing 88 criminal charges for various legal processes opened in courts in several cities and for different crimes.
jc (afp, ap)
