Former federal prosecutor Andrew Wiseman said Tuesday that former President Trump could be sentenced to prison if he is convicted of falsifying business records in his hush money trial in New York, which begins later this month. Ta.
President Trump faces 34 felonies for falsifying business records to hide hush money he paid to conceal an alleged affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign. ing.
“He might be going to jail,” Wiseman said in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. “I think this is going to cause judges to look at the rule of law and see how other people, people with similar criminal histories, have been treated. This is Donald Trump's pretrial behavior. I think this is a field that is relevant.”
Wiseman noted that Trump frequently attacks judges and their families, which could come back to haunt him. Judge Juan Machan on Monday expanded a gag order on the case, blocking the former president from continuing to criticize his daughter, Democratic strategist Lauren Machan.
The first gag order already prohibited public statements about witnesses, other prosecutors, court officials, and their families “if the statements are made with the intent to seriously interfere” with the case.
The former prosecutor also predicted that if Trump is found guilty, he likely won't receive any benefits during sentencing for his actions.
“If there are people who are repentant, if there are people who share that they respect the rule of law and that this was an aberration, the court can take that into account,” he said.
“But if they think that the defendant is actually basically running as an outlaw, basically looking through the judicial process by the nose, showing no signs of remorse and essentially being a repeat offender, then they These are factors that the judge can consider,” Wiseman continued. “And I'm sure a judge like Judge Marchan will take all of that into account, if there is a conviction, but then decide whether it actually qualifies as a prison sentence. It’s too early to do that.”
The case will go to trial on April 15, marking the first time a former president has been tried on criminal charges.
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