The federal judge overseeing Donald Trump's defamation trial issued a warning and threatened jail time to the former president's lawyer, Alina Habba. This rebuke came as Habba began her closing arguments in the case. Judge Lewis Kaplan previously prohibited Trump and his legal team from denying the rape or defamation allegations made by former columnist E. Jean Carroll, who was awarded $5 million in damages in a separate case. However, Habba violated this rule by defending Trump's years of denials.

Habba minimized the threatening messages Carroll received as a result of Trump's denials. She also argued that Trump's unwavering stance on the matter is because it's the truth. Kaplan sustained objections to these statements and warned Habba of potential consequences if she violated his instructions again.

Earlier in the day, Kaplan had warned Habba that she could face incarceration if she continued to protest his orders.

The trial stems from Carroll's defamation lawsuit against Trump over his denials of her rape allegation. In a previous trial, Trump was found civilly liable for sexually assaulting Carroll. The current trial is focused on determining damages for other similar defamatory statements made by Trump.

Sources:

- The Messenger: https://www.messenger.com.mt/

- Deadline: Legal Blog: https://deadline.com/author/jordan-rubin/

- The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/elections2016/donald-trump