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The Secret Service quietly planned for Donald Trump’s potential imprisonment after his repeated gag order violations prompted a contempt hearing.
In meetings, discussions focused on the possibility of a short jail sentence for being held in contempt by Judge Juan Merchan, though officials were uncertain as to whether he would place Trump in a courthouse holding cell, according to ABC News, adding that staff has not yet begun discussions on its response to a conviction and prison sentence in his hush-money case.
“For all settings around the world, we study locations and develop comprehensive and layered protective models that incorporate state of the art technology, protective intelligence and advanced security tactics to safeguard our protectees,” the Secret Service said in a statement to ABC News. “Beyond that, we do not comment on specific protective operations.”
Trump attended a Tuesday hearing on his repeated violations of a gag order, which legal experts say meet the bar for contempt of court. Judge Merchan ultimately reserved judgment on gag order violations, many of which stem from Trump’s Truth Social posts in which he has made repeated attacks on witnesses in the case, prosecutors say.
Witnesses began their testimony this week, including former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker who outlined a “catch and kill” scheme that he and Trump allegedly engaged in to bury sex scandals during his 2016 campaign.
