Former U.S. attorney: Judge will take Trump to the 'woodshed' over gag order
Former U.S. Attorney Michael Moore expected New York Justice Juan Merchan to take Donald Trump to the "woodshed" for violating a gag order in his hush-money case.
During a Monday interview on CNN, Moore told host Jim Acosta that the delay in resolving accusations that the gag order has been violated was part of the "sausage making" in court.
"And the real issue on the gag order is that this has sort of been an ongoing problem for Trump," Moore said. "I mean, he just can't keep quiet."
The former U.S. attorney explained that Merchan may have to amend his order before it is released because Trump continued to violate it.
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"I really think you're going to hear from the judge this week about what he will do on the gag order," he explained. "I think he's going to probably take Trump out and woodshed him a little bit in the back and get on him and impose some kind of fine. I don't think we ought to be expecting incarceration."
"But I think the judge will, you know, read the riot act, give him a fine," he added. "And then, at the same time, I think the judge's memory will be long, and he'll be thinking at the end of the trial if, in fact, there's a conviction when it comes to sentencing."
The limited gag order prevents Trump from making statements about potential witnesses, jurors, court staff, or their families.