Donald Trump biographer's prediction about prison time

Donald Trump biographer David Cay Johnston estimates the former president will be sentenced to “at least 30 days in jail” following the guilty verdict in his hush-hush criminal trial in Manhattan.

In a case brought before Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a New York jury on Thursday found Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a payment secret paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels by Trump. Michael Cohen, then a lawyer and fixer, shortly before the 2016 presidential election. Daniels alleges she had a sexual relationship with Trump in 2006, which he denies. Trump has maintained his innocence, saying the case was politically motivated, and his lawyers plan to challenge the verdict and appeal if necessary.

“It was a shame. It was a rigged trial by a contradictory and corrupt judge,” the former president said outside the courtroom after the verdict.

Johnston, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist and author of the bestselling 2016 biography The creation of Donald Trumpsaid Saturday on MSNBC that Trump “invited” Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the case, to impose a prison sentence because of his behavior, both during the trial and after the verdict.

When MSNBC's Yasmin Vossoughian asked Johnston, “Do you think Donald Trump could get prison time?” » Johnston replied: “Absolutely.”

“If you are contrite and admit that you did wrong, you usually get a lighter sentence. In Donald's case, he has 10 criminal contempts,” he added. “After the jury arrived, he continued to attack the judge and attack the system. I think he is inviting Judge Merchan to give him a prison sentence. Frankly, I will be surprised if he is not sentenced to at least 30 days behind bars.

Each of the 34 counts is a class E felony, punishable under New York state law by a fine and up to five years in prison. Merchan is scheduled to deliver Trump's sentencing on July 11, four days before the Republican National Convention begins its process to officially nominate him for 2024.

In March, Merchan imposed a silence on Trump, barring him from making public statements about witnesses, including Cohen and Daniels, as well as lawyers and staff involved in the case and their families. The order excluded Merchan and Bragg. However, it was later expanded to include Merchan and Bragg's families after Trump launched scathing attacks on the judge's daughter, Loren Merchan, and her ties to the Democratic Party.

Trump was fined a total of $10,000 for 10 separate violations of the hush order and Merchan threatened prison time if the former president continued to violate the order.

News week emailed Trump's lead lawyer, Todd Blanche, for comment Saturday evening. This story will be updated with any statements provided.

The incarceration of a former president would raise several logistical questions that have never needed to be answered before, namely how the U.S. Secret Service would continue to provide around-the-clock protection, as required by law.

Syracuse University law professor Gregory Germain said News week Jailing a major political party's leading presidential candidate Friday “would create a constitutional crisis, and I would expect emergency motions to suspend the sentence pending appeal.”

“I think a prison sentence is unlikely for a first-time, non-violent Class E felony,” he added. “Any other defendants will get probation, and I think it will be very difficult for the judge to justify a prison sentence for a criminal record violation.”

Johnston said Saturday that he recognized that a host of legal experts were not predicting a prison sentence for the former president.

“While it is true that wealthy white men with no criminal records in their 60s, usually for a first offense of white-collar crime, do not go to prison, the sentence also depends on the behavior of the accused,” he said. -he declared to Vossoughian.

Judge Michael J. Obus, a judge of the Criminal Division of the Supreme Court of New York County, previously stated News week that the 10 times Trump was found in contempt of court will be taken into account by Merchan in his sentencing.

Obus, who served as an administrative judge overseeing the Merchan court, said a guaranteed way for Trump to end up in prison would be to break his silence order for the 11th time.

Addressing factors relevant to sentencing, Obus said News week that Trump “was convicted of the lowest, non-violent, Class E crimes, and has no criminal record at the age of 77.”

“On the other hand, a conviction on numerous counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, in aid of presidential election fraud, is a very serious matter. Unprecedented, I suppose, in our court , but certainly serious,” he said. “This defendant was also charged with criminal contempt for ten incidents that occurred during the trial, and he did not [shown]and I don't expect him to show any remorse.”