A Manhattan jury found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records he faced in his New York hush money criminal trial. Follow here for the latest live news updates, analysis and more.
Guilty on 34 counts.
In a historic verdict, Trump was convicted of falsifying business records in connection to a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.
The charges against Trump are Class E felonies, the least serious category under New York law. Each count carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison.
Experts tend to think it is highly unlikely that Trump will face any jail time as a result of the hush money verdict.
“I’d be shocked” if Trump is sentenced to jail, Bachner said. He added that a sentence of probation would be normal for the average defendant convicted of the same crime.
[Judge] Merchan has made clear throughout the trial that he is mindful of Trump’s unique political status, and he has previously expressed reluctance to put the ex-president behind bars.
Gershman told CNBC that a jail sentence is “certainly plausible,” and that it “would not be out of bounds” for Merchan to sentence Trump to some time behind bars.
But he acknowledged that, due to the immense and complex challenges of incarcerating a former president, the judge might instead opt for a sentence of house arrest.
“This case goes to the heart of our democracy, according to the judge,” Gershman said. “He views this case as very, very serious.”
I understand the sentiment, but it is important for felons to be allowed to run for office. I would also say that the vast majority of them should be allowed to vote as well (I would only take that away in cases which involve acts against democracy, election interference, etc--which, incidentally, this was).
Sometimes the law is wrong. How many people are felons because they smoked pot, for example?
Meh...the felon population is not supposed to be large enough to influence elections...looks up incarcerated numbers...Louisiana/Oklahoma/Mississipi: nearly 1%...ok...new voting group: the incarcerated...but...who wants to fight for that vote?