'Really damaging his case': Lawyer tells Mary Trump her uncle could end up in jail

Donald Trump may be in big trouble if he keeps mouthing off to the judge in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case, a lawyer told the former president's niece in an interview published on Friday.

Mary Trump said that her family member, the ex-president, had lobbed "personally attacks" at the judge presiding over the E. Jean Carroll trial. A lawyer purportedly told her that Trump could end up in jail.

"Tonight, Donald’s attorneys have asked for a mistrial in the E. Jean Carroll case. It’s a gutsy—or desperate—move considering Judge Kaplan already declined their identical request last week," Mary Trump said. "This lack of respect for the court is a pattern. Donald, who already has TWO active gag orders against him in his NYC fraud trial and the January 6th case, just tested the limits of his conduct and the behavior of his attorneys in his civil defamation trial, too."

Mary Trump went on to say her uncle "tore into Judge Lewis Kaplan and personally attacked him for not delaying the trial for his mother-in-law’s funeral."

"First of all, Donald’s attendance at the trial was optional (he did not appear at the first defamation trial) and, second, instead of being with his family all week, he’s been on the campaign trail," she added.

Mary Trump said she asked attorney Joe Gallina to predict what might happen next, and that he said Trump "is using his appearance at court to speak to his base."

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"He’s playing the victim, which works well with them, while attempting to malign the judge, intimidate E. Jean Carroll, and undermine the accusations by claiming it’s all a political ‘witch hunt,'" he said. "Sure he’ll score some political points, but he’s really damaging his case."

Going further, Gallina reportedly said Trump is put in an "impossible position" because the "more he attempts to appease his base, the more he’ll turn off the jury,"

"In fact, I predict after witnessing the way Trump and his legal team have acted, the jury could award E. Jean Carroll a significantly higher amount than the original $5 million verdict— and it’s likely,” Gallina said. "There are also a host of punishments available to Judge Kaplan to apply to Donald if he continues to act out. It stands to reason we’ll hear a description of what those might be of. Donald could face fines and even be thrown in jail for contempt if he ignores repeated warnings."'