Donald Trump is officially the first former or current US president to face criminal charges in US history. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison.
But Judge Juan Mergan, who is overseeing the case, is not expected to approve such a long sentence. Many legal observers believe the sentence is no more than four years, but Trump could avoid prison altogether and instead receive probation or community service.
Mercen will base his decision on a number of factors, including the unique nature of the case, Trump’s age and the logistics of keeping a former president safe while in prison.
BREAKING: Donald Trump found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business documents in New York pic.twitter.com/Yq8LWihvRx
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) May 30, 2024
“This is a fraudulent trial of the Biden administration,” says former President Trump
After blaming the Biden administration, Donald Trump blamed the judge and prosecutor for the fraud investigation. He continued to speak out in an effort to change the conversation on issues such as polarization and the country’s fragmentation and immigration. He didn’t fail to blame his Manhattan ratings for the punishment.
“We’re going to keep fighting, we’re going to fight to the end, and we’re going to win because our country has gone to hell,” Trump said, adding, “We don’t have the same country anymore, we have a divided mess.”
A decision on his sentence will not be made before July 11. Prosecutors rested much of their case on Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer. Cohen told the court in mid-May that he had lied and intimidated several witnesses on behalf of his former employer. She also testified that Trump was angry that porn star Daniels was selling a story about her having sex with the former president.
“He told me it was a disaster, a total disaster. The girls were going to hate me,” Cohen told jurors. “Men, they think it’s cool, but it’s going to be a campaign disaster.”
One by one, jurors looked straight ahead and confirmed their decision with President Trump’s head bowed.