One of Donald Trump’s lawyers, Todd Blanche, believes that the sentencing for former President Donald Trump following Thursday’s verdict could result in jail time, The Associated Press reported Saturday.
Blanche anticipates that due to the prominence and highly publicized nature of the case, the sentencing could be “contentious,” and that while the president’s legal team will argue for no jail time, it is a possibility, Blanche told the AP. Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to non-disclosure payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels, with a sentencing date scheduled for July 11. (RELATED: Trump’s Sentence Shouldn’t Involve Jail Time — But With This Judge, Anything Is Possible)
Former U.S. President Donald Trump leaves after addressing members of the media following the verdict in his hush-money trial at Trump Tower on May 31, 2024, in New York City. Photo Credit: Getty, Spencer Platt / Staff
“On the one hand, it would be extraordinary to send a 77-year-old to prison for a case like this. A first-time offender who was also president of the United States, I mean, I think almost unheard of,” Blanche told the AP. “So it’s going to be a very, I think, contentious sentencing where we’re going to obviously argue strenuously for a non-incarceratory sentence.”
The felonies that Trump was convicted of can be punished by either incarceration, probation or a fine, according to the AP. The former president has vowed to appeal.
George Conway Goes Off The Rails When GOP Strategist Suggests Trump Conviction Will ‘Backfire’ On Dems https://t.co/6xSNmW7wfW
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“I was shocked at how he took the verdict,” Blanche told the AP about Trump. “He just stood there and just kind of took it. And I think had a lot of appropriate solemnness for the moment that made me very proud to be sitting next to him when it, when it was happening.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 30: Former U.S. President Donald Trump departs the courtroom after being found guilty on all 34 counts in his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30, 2024 in New York City. . (Photo by Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images)
The case has been marred by controversy due to claims that it is motivated by political considerations. The case trial took place in a deep-blue district in Manhattan brought by Democratic District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who campaigned on charging Trump.
“I believe in the justice system, and I always will. And I don’t think that that one case should change anybody’s view,” Blanche told the AP. “But if you were Donald J. Trump and you have four indictments… you don’t think you would say you thought it was rigged? OK.”
Blanche did not immediately respond to a request to comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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