Judge Juan Merchan opened proceedings Monday morning by telling Trump that the $1,000 fines for gag order violations evidently aren't deterring the former president. "Going forward," Merchan said, he will have to consider jail time for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Merchan had issued nine $1,000 fines for each violation of the gag order barring Trump from commenting on the participation of potential witnesses or jurors with the intent to interfere in the trial. He added a 10th fine on Monday.
Following that dramatic start to the week, former Trump Organization financial controller Jeffrey McConney was called to testify about his role in arranging for Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen to be reimbursed for a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. That payment, and Trump's labeling of his subsequent payments to Cohen as legal expenses, is at the heart of Trump's trial in Manhattan Criminal Court for 34 counts of falsifying business records.