Contempt ruling could cost Trump his bail in every criminal case: expert

Former federal prosecutor and legal analyst Glenn Kirschner warned that if Judge Juan Merchan decides Donald Trump violated his gag order, it could have knock-on consequences in all of his criminal cases.

Speaking to MSNBC on Monday, Kirschner said the conditions of Trump's bail in every indictment he faces are that he will not commit any other crimes.

If Trump is held in contempt of court, he has done exactly that.

"Let's face it," Kirschner began, "we have a contempt hearing coming up where it may go from bad to worse. The minute Justice [Juan] Merchan holds Donald Trump in contempt in violation of the laws of New York, that will represent a violation of his release conditions in all four of his criminal cases.

"So, I think things are about to get significantly worse for Donald Trump."

Trump is out on bail in the Washington, D.C. election interference case, in Georgia for the racketeering case, and in South Florida, where he will eventually be tried on charges related to illegally storing classified documents.

Trump has been accused of violating a gag order at least 10 times since the start of his hush money trial. The order was put in place to stop intimidation of witnesses, jurors, court staff or their families.

Merchan is expected to rule on the accusations at any time, and Trump could be fined up to $1,000 per violation or jailed for up the 30 days.

Kirschner went on to add that Trump's say that, if people like Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal testify, they will "bring the intense interest and perhaps some salaciousness to the jury's attention."

That said, they're legitimately serious witnesses with a lot of information to provide. That said, there will also be many no-name witnesses who have important and incriminating evidence against the defendant.

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"They are all part of the story. Kind of the criminal tapestry," he described.

He also explained that all of Trump's behavior is being observed by jurors.

"They are absorbing important information about the defendant, Donald Trump, in the way he behaves in court, in how he reacts, even if not verbally, to what the witnesses are saying about evidence that may be deeply incriminating," said Kirschner.

See the discussion in the video below or at the link here.