Legal expert Jonathan Turley said Monday that it would be outrageous for former President Trump to be sentenced to prison for the felonies, predicting he would instead receive a lighter punishment.
Trump was found guilty earlier this month on 34 counts of falsifying business documents in a case in which prosecutors alleged he illegally concealed past affairs and hush money he paid to influence the 2016 election.
His sentencing is scheduled for July 11, four days before the Republican National Convention begins. He has appealed his conviction, but sentencing will proceed as scheduled. The former president could face up to four years in prison, but Turley argued that was unlikely.
“(Trump) is completely ripe in the eyes of many people, jurors and judges. I think people have this idea of who Trump is. They either love him or hate him,” Turley said in a Fox News interview with Neil Cavuto. “I’ve never met anyone in the middle of those two camps. So I don’t think it will move the needle much here.”
“But sending him to prison is also outrageous,” he continued. “He is an elderly first-time offender, a non-violent offender, and a very controversial charge. The entire case could ultimately be overturned on appeal. I think Judge Murchan would be way off the mark to put him in jail even for a day.”
Trump sat down for a probation interview with his probation officer Monday morning, as is standard procedure. Court officials made an exception to the rule for the former president, effectively allowing him to attend.
Turley added that he would not be surprised by any outcome because he thought Judge Juan Merchan was somewhat biased in his court rulings for the prosecution.
“There is a lot of pressure. When I came out of the courtroom after the verdict, it was like a game of Rome. I mean, it was hard to see people standing still,” Turley said. “People were dancing in the street. “This is the environment around this courthouse.”
“And there were people in deep anguish and sorrow,” he continued. “It was a picture of America, and it wasn’t necessarily a good picture. I mean, it was such a bizarre and bifurcating scene that I just stood there for a moment and took it in.”
