Trump’s four criminal cases are quietly chugging along in court even as his race against Vice President Kamala Harris dominates the news. Important legal battles continue to be fought, and motions to be filed. Even now, Trump’s lawyers are preparing for him to be sentenced — possibly to jail time — on his one conviction so far at a hearing in New York City scheduled for three weeks after Election Day, NYT Service reported.
Trump has told people close to him that if he wins the election, the legal cases would simply “go away.” On Thursday, he said he would fire Jack Smith, the special counsel who filed two federal cases against him, “within two seconds” if he regains the White House. “I don’t think they’ll impeach me if I fire Jack Smith,” Trump, who was impeached twice by the House of Representatives, told radio host Hugh Hewitt.
He went further in another radio interview, suggesting that Smith should be deported along with immigrants in the country without legal permission. “Jack Smith should be considered mentally deranged and he should be thrown out of the country,” Trump said on WABC, a talk radio station in New York.
Becoming president again would place Trump back in charge of the Justice Department, giving him significant powers to dispose of the indictments brought by Smith. In one of those cases, based in Washington, Trump stands accused of plotting to overturn the 2020 election. In the other, based in Florida, he was charged with illegally holding on to classified material after leaving office.
A victory at the polls could have an impact on the state cases he faces as well.It could hinder efforts by Fani Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County, Georgia, to pursue her case against Trump on charges of tampering with the 2020 election results in Georgia. That is because, legal experts say, state authorities are expected to honor a long-standing federal prohibition against prosecuting a sitting president.For similar reasons, regaining the White House could throw a wrench into Trump’s sentencing in Manhattan in the case where he was found guilty of falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal with Stephanie Clifford, a pornographic film actor who goes by the name Stormy Daniels. If he wins, legal scholars say, it is extremely unlikely that he would be forced to serve any time while he remains in office.
When Trump shows up to Manhattan Criminal Court to be sentenced on November 26, his lawyers are likely to argue that as a 78-year-old man with no prior convictions, he should avoid serving jail time altogether.
But an examination by The New York Times of dozens of similar cases determined that Justice Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the case, could well decide to sentence Trump to jail. The examination found that more than one-third of defendants who were convicted of falsifying business records in Manhattan over the past decade spent time behind bars. And jail could be a real possibility for Trump not only because he was found guilty of 34 felony counts at trial, but also because he was twice found in contempt for his unruly behavior during the proceedings and has continued to attack both the jury’s verdict and those who played a role in the case.
People close to Trump say he does not often talk about what a loss might mean for his future, although he and his lawyers have been acutely focused on pushing key courtroom events — like his sentencing in Manhattan — until after the election.
FAQs
Q1. When is US election 2024 polling day?
A1. US election 2024 polling day is on November 5.
Q2. Who are contesting in US election 2024?
A2. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are contesting in US election 2024.
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