Secret Service on Alert: Planning Underway for Possible Trump Contempt Charges in Hush Money Probe
DEBARYLIFE – As ABC News was informed by people familiar with the matter, the U.S. Secret Service met and began preparing for the possibility that former President Donald Trump would be found in contempt in his criminal hush money trial and Judge Juan Merchan would decide to place him in temporary detention.
Following a heated hearing, Merchan postponed deciding on the subject until Tuesday. According to the prosecution, they are currently requesting a fine.
Assistant district attorney Chris Conroy stated, “The defendant seems to be angling for an incarceratory penalty, but we are not yet seeking that.”
Although officials do not necessarily think Merchan would imprison Trump in the courtroom, they are nonetheless preparing for the worst, they stated.
The course of action if Trump is found guilty and given a prison term has not yet been discussed.
The former president is on trial for felonies related to forging financial documents to conceal the return of a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels by his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, before the 2016 presidential election.
Regarding particular plans on the subject, the Secret Service declined to comment.
“Under federal law, the United States Secret Service must protect current government leaders, former Presidents and First Ladies, visiting heads of state, and other individuals designated by the President of the United States,” the agency stated in a statement.
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“To defend our protectees in any environment on the planet, we conduct in-depth site studies and create multi-layered protective models that combine cutting-edge technology, protective intelligence, and sophisticated security measures. We don’t discuss specific protective operations beyond that.
Prosecutors claimed that Trump had broken the restricted gag order at least ten times this month, which forbids him from making comments on any of the case’s witnesses, jurors, or attorneys save Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Trump’s attorneys informed Merchan that the former president was shielding himself from potential witnesses by claiming that the prosecution has not shown that the former president intentionally broke the gag order with his social media posts attacking Cohen and Daniels.
Additionally, defense attorneys said that the gag order is ambiguous and permits Trump to make “political” remarks.