The judge overseeing Donald Trump's hush money criminal trial said on Friday that a gag order preventing him from commenting about witnesses and jurors does not bar him from testifying in court on his own behalf.
“I want to stress to Mr. Trump: you have an absolute right to testify at trial,” Justice Juan Merchan said to start the 11th day in Trump's hush money trial. Trump asserted after Thursday's session that the gag order would prevent him from testifying. He said on Friday that was not actually the case. "It won't stop me from testifying," he told reporters before entering the courtroom.
Trump said his legal team would try to overturn the gag order, which bars him from making public comments about jurors, witnesses, and families of the judge and prosecutors if those statements are meant to interfere with the case.
Merchan fined Trump $9,000 on Tuesday for violating the order and signaled on Thursday he may impose more fines for what prosecutors say are further violations. Merchan has said Trump could be potentially jailed if he does not change his ways.