Judge Juan Merchan has found former President Donald Trump in contempt for violating the gag order in his hush money trial for the 10th time and said he’ll consider jail time going forward.
I agree this is two-tired bullshit, but it’s exactly what needs to happen. At the first arraignment, Merchan fined the state maximum. At the second, he fined the state maximum and threatened jail time for a future infraction, after declaring his disinterest in jailing a former President. This is how a smart judge protects his rulings from mistrial appeal, which is exactly what the defense would do under even a hint of bias. Merchan wants everything to stick, just as we all do.
I agree this is two-tired bullshit, but it’s exactly what needs to happen. At the first arraignment, Merchan fined the state maximum. At the second, he fined the state maximum and threatened jail time for a future infraction, after declaring his disinterest in jailing a former President. This is how a smart judge protects his rulings from mistrial appeal, which is exactly what the defense would do under even a hint of bias. Merchan wants everything to stick, just as we all do.