Chinanews.com, April 15 (Chen Caixia) On the 15th local time, the United States ushered in another historical moment. Former President Donald Trump arrives in New York's Manhattan courtroom to face trial in the hush money case – making him the first former president in U.S. history to face a criminal trial.
Previously, Trump has been in court many times for financial fraud cases and defamation cases. But unlike civil cases, this time in criminal cases, there is a possibility of sending him to prison.
From April 8 to 10, Trump tried to postpone the trial of the case for three consecutive days, but all failed. What criminal liabilities may Trump face in the first criminal trial? Will he go to jail immediately? What impact will this have on the "second showdown" between him and Biden in the US election?
Data map: Trump.
A peachy piece of news
with a sum of money eight years ago
Trump became the "male protagonist" of the criminal trial in Manhattan, New York, starting with a peach news.
Travel back to before the 2016 U.S. presidential election. At the time, Michael Cohen, Trump's campaign manager and lawyer, paid $130,000 in hush money to adult film actor Stormy Daniels, asking him not to play up an affair with Trump years ago during the campaign.
In 2018, U.S. federal prosecutors charged Cohen with "campaign money" for paying hush money to Daniels.
After nearly five years of investigation, in January 2023, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in New York formed a grand jury to hear evidence in the case. Later, Cohen testified that Trump instructed him to pay hush money so as not to "influence the 2016 presidential election."
On March 30, 2023, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg filed a criminal case against Trump, accusing Trump of allegedly engaging in falsifying records in an attempt to "benefit his campaign by identifying and buying negative information about him to prevent it from being published."
Mr. Trump has repeatedly denied that the payment to Cohen was to "cover up the peachy news" and said that the money he gave Cohen at the time was "reimbursement of legal fees."
Data map: On April 4, 2023 local time, former U.S. President Trump arrived at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York for arraignment on the "hush money" case. Photo by China News Service reporter Liao Pan
34 "Class E felonies"
Trump may be sentenced to 136 years in the maximum?
The Associated Press reported that Trump faces charges of falsifying business records under New York state law, which is a Class E felony. The public indictment shows that Trump is guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying records, with a minimum sentence of 1.3 years and a maximum sentence of four years for each count. If all charges are based on the maximum sentence, the maximum sentence may be 136 years.
However, this 136 years is only theoretical. The judge has the discretion to decide whether to order Trump to serve each count at the same time or sequentially during the actual sentencing process. New York State's sentence for Class E felonies is capped at 20 years.
"Because Trump's felony charges involve neither violence nor drugs...... For a defendant who has no criminal record, I think the result will be that he will be given a suspended sentence. Mitchell Epner, a lawyer in New York, said in an interview with USA Today.
Anna Kominski, a professor of criminal law at New York Law School, agrees with the expectation of probation, "This is a case that does not involve any physical violence, and there is no 'designated victim,' so the court will also take that into account." ”
Diana Florence, a criminal lawyer with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, said that even if New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Murken issues a "custodial" sentence, the appeals court will set a bail threshold for Mr. Trump to remain free while appealing.
"I don't think there's a 1% chance that Trump will go to jail immediately if he's convicted, because he'll be released on bail right away, pending appeal. Florence said.
Despite facing a criminal trial, Trump continues to challenge legal boundaries. Under a gag order, clash with Merken, who could decide his fate.
Recently, Trump posted a lengthy post on his social media platform, Truth Social, in which he lashed out at Mr. Mercan, calling him a "hater" and again calling on him to recuse himself from the case. Trump said that Mercan's daughter works in Biden's Democratic camp and that it is "completely impossible" for him to get a "fair trial."
John Moscow, a New York lawyer with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, noted that such behavior could aggravate any sentence Trump faces. "If I were [Trump's] legal representative, I would advise him that the judge is the one who imposes the sentence and he should be careful. ”
According to CNN, the criminal trial in the "hush money" case will last between six and eight weeks. This means that Trump will have to appear in court four days a week for the next two months, which could delay his campaign schedule.
Data map: On August 3, 2023 local time, former U.S. President Trump appeared in a federal court in Washington, D.C., pleading not guilty to the charges of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The picture shows Trump's motorcade leaving the federal courthouse after the court appearance. Photo by China News Service reporter Sha Hanting
Trump wants to fight a "tough battle against justice"
How to stir up the U.S. election?
Currently, in addition to this case, Trump faces three criminal charges — interference in the federal presidential election, interference in the Georgia presidential election, and mishandling of classified documents. The four cases are a swagger, with a total of 91 charges covered.
According to US media, the "hush money" case may be the only one of the four criminal indictments that Trump faces that can be tried before the presidential election on November 5 this year.
Some legal experts believe that the severity of the "hush money" case is relatively low compared to the other three. According to CNN, its political impact is likely to be smaller than the other three criminal trials that Trump is about to face. The other three trials dealt with constitutional and legal issues related to the powers of the President.
"Trump's first criminal trial is a special historic moment for the United States. "When the Republican presidential candidate walks into the courtroom for trial, he and the country will enter a new reality — because law and politics clash in this trial, and this will surely deepen the painful ideological divide among Americans." ”
If Trump is convicted, the outcome could be a blow to his campaign prospects, analysts say.
According to an earlier Bloomberg/Morning Consulting poll, more than half of swing state voters in the U.S. said they would not vote for Trump if he was found guilty. Still, four out of ten swing state voters say they would be willing to vote for Trump even if he is found guilty, and another 7 percent are undecided.
In addition, the US media said that if Trump is convicted, it will also make the US legal system face unprecedented problems. For example, whether Trump will go to jail during the campaign, and if Trump wins the campaign, when will he serve his prison sentence.
Although the 77-year-old former US president has pleaded not guilty to nearly 100 charges, it is undeniable that the ensuing lawsuits will bring more trouble to his election campaign. (ENDS)