NEW YORK (NEWSnet/AP) — Donald Trump has been fined another $1,000 on a contempt of court violation as his criminal trial continues over hush money allegations.

The trial had just begun its third week of testimony Monday in a Manhattan court.

Before testimony resumed, Judge Juan M. Merchan held Trump in contempt of court and fined him another $1,000 for violating the gag order, sternly warning the former president of the possibility of jail for future violations. The incident under question involved comments Trump made during an interview April 22, claiming the jury was stacked with Democrats. He is the leading Republican candidate in the upcoming November elections.

In his ruling, Judge Merchan said the comments “not only called into question the integrity, and therefore the legitimacy of these proceedings, but again raised the specter of fear for the safety of the jurors and of their loved ones.”

Prosecutors had accused Trump of four violations during a hearing held Thursday, but the judge only concurred with one.

“The last thing I want to do is put you in jail,” the judge said Monday morning. “You are the former president of the United States and possibly the next president as well. There are many reasons why incarceration is truly a last resort for me. To take that step would be disruptive to these proceedings.”

The judge had previously fined Trump $9,000 for nine earlier violations in posts on Truth Social and his website.

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