Former US President Trump fined $10,000 for violating gag order in civil fraud trial

The judge in Donald Trump's civil fraud trial fined the former president USD 10,000 on Wednesday, saying Trump violated a limited gag order barring personal attacks on court staffers.

The judge in Donald Trump's civil fraud trial fined the former president USD 10,000 on Wednesday, saying Trump violated a limited gag order barring personal attacks on court staffers.

The fine came after Trump was called to the witness stand to explain his comment outside the courtroom about “a person who's very partisan sitting alongside” the judge in the case, Judge Arthur Engoron.

The judge ordered Trump to take down that post and Trump did. But it lingered on his campaign website for weeks, prompting a $5,000 fine for Trump on Friday.

Trump and his lawyers said his comment Wednesday was about witness Michael Cohen, not the clerk.

Three of Trump's attorneys objected to the fine, insisting that the comment was referring to Cohen, and they reiterated Trump's claim that the judge's law clerk was unfairly biased.