Trump trial live updates: Trump held in contempt of court for violating gag order – The Independent

Gustaf Kilander has the details:

Court has resumed after lunch with Keith Davidson, the former lawyer for Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, back on the stand.

Prosecutors are running through text messages between the witness and National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard regarding a deal for Ms McDougal over the summer of 2016 to hush up her alleged affair with Donald Trump.

Alex Woodward is sending regular updates from the court:

August 2 2016

Davidson: I can’t believe they are asking me to go back for another 25 but they are. [T]He deal is accepted at 150k. Can u do that?

Howard: He just called me. Fuck it. Not my money. I’ll ask.

August 5 2016

Davidson: Cameron’s agreement wasn’t really even close to what we were expecting. Please review the red-line I just sent. Need to handle this quickly.

(Cameron was general counsel at AMI.)

Davidson now: “We had come to terms with AMI on the deal points … And that was negotiated between Dylan and I, and Dylan, content editor, handed it off to the legal department … They didn’t jive.”

During the court’s lunch break, and with less than an hour to go before Judge Merchan’s 2.15pm deadline, Donald Trump has removed the offending social media posts that were in violation of the gag order in the his hush money trial.

The former president was fined $1,000 for each of the posts, totalling $9,000 and was told that further violations could mean jail time…

Alex Woodward reports from the courthouse in Lower Manhattan:

The judge presiding over Donald Trump’s hush money trial has threatened to throw him in jail if he continues to break the gag order in the case, after hitting him with a $9,000 fine for nine separate violations.

Moments before a second week of witness testimony began on Tuesday morning, New York justice Juan Merchan issued a brief order from the bench finding the former president in contempt of court and ordering $1,000 fines for nine offending Truth Social posts where he attacked witnesses in the case.

In his written order, the judge warned that Mr Trump could face an “incarceratory punishment” if he continues his “wilful violations” of the court’s order, if “necessary and appropriate under the circumstances”.

Continue reading…

Gustaf Kilander spoke with American expats:

Howard: She’ll get more out of a deal with AMI than ABC. And I’m happy to sign some sort of agreement that alleviates some fears about jurisdiction/meeting only with AMI.

Davidson: I need this to happen.

Judge Merchan decides to excuse the jurors for lunch.

Then a follow-up text conversation from 28 July 2016

Howard: We are going to lay it on thick for her

“I think at this point in time Karen was teetering between two competing deals,” Davidson testifies. “We had requested a meeting where each entity could make a pitch where each could make a pitch where they were the correct avenue for Karen.”

Davidson: Good. Throw in an ambassadorship for me. I’m thinking of Isle of Man.

“It was sort of in jest. That was just a joke,” he says now.

Steinglass: Why is that funny?

“I don’t even think the Isle of Man is a country,” Davidson says. “I know they don’t have an ambassador. But I think it was in reference to Mr Trump’s candidacy. … That somehow if Karen did this deal it would somehow help Trump’s candidacy.”

Howard: Lol

Back to the texts, continuing into 23 July 2016:

Davidson: How about 1m now. And 75k per year for next 2 years as a fitness correspondent for ami & ur related pubs

Howard: I’ll take it to them but thinking it’s more hundreds than millions

Davidson: 800 now and 100 per year for two years for a total of 1m

Howard: Leave w/me