Former president avoids jail time by paying penalty
- Trump pays $9,000 fine for violating gag order
- Fine paid ahead of Friday deadline
- Two cashier’s checks used for payment
- Judge warned Trump of potential jail time for further violations
Donald Trump has paid his $9,000 fine for violating the gag order in his hush money criminal trial. The former president paid the penalty Thursday, ahead of a Friday deadline. Trump’s legal team supplied the court clerk’s office with two cashier’s checks — one for $2,000 and one for $7,000. Judge Juan M. Merchan ordered Trump to pay the fine after holding him in contempt of court and finding that posts he made online about his ex-lawyer Michael Cohen, porn actor Stormy Daniels and the composition of the jury had violated the gag order. Merchan is currently weighing a prosecution request to hold Trump in contempt again and fine him $1,000 for each of four more alleged violations from last week. Merchan has warned Trump that he could be jailed if he keeps breaching the gag order.
Factuality Level: 2
Factuality Justification: The article provides relevant information about Donald Trump paying a fine for violating a gag order in his hush money criminal trial. However, it includes unnecessary background information, details that are tangential to the main topic, and some sensationalism in the headline and context section. The article also lacks depth and analysis, focusing more on the surface-level details.
Noise Level: 2
Noise Justification: The article provides relevant information about Donald Trump paying a fine for violating a gag order in his hush money criminal trial. It includes details about the amount of the fine, the context of the violations, and the consequences Trump faces if he continues to breach the gag order. The article stays on topic and does not contain irrelevant or repetitive information. It supports its claims with specific examples and context. Overall, the article is focused, informative, and free from noise.
Financial Relevance: No
Financial Markets Impacted: No
Presence Of Extreme Event: No
Nature Of Extreme Event: No
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: No
Rating Justification: The article does not pertain to financial topics and does not describe any extreme event.
Key People: Donald Trump (Former President), Juan M. Merchan (Judge), Michael Cohen (Ex-lawyer), Stormy Daniels (Porn actor)
www.marketwatch.com 
