After a jury found former President Donald Trump guilty on all 34 criminal charges related to the hush money trial, attention has shifted to the potential consequences for the presumptive Republican nominee as the November rematch against President Joe Biden approaches.
Trump might face prison time, probation, or fines related to the conviction, which involved falsifying business records. He is anticipated to appeal the jury’s decision, which came after more than eight hours of deliberations over two days.
Sentencing for Trump is set for July 11.
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If the court sentences Trump to prison, the U.S. Secret Service will encounter an unprecedented challenge — safeguarding a former president in prison.
By law, the agency must provide Trump with round-the-clock protection. The Secret Service began preparations for the possibility of Trump being incarcerated even before opening statements in the trial commenced.
This would involve keeping Trump isolated from other inmates and screening his food and items. A rotating detail of Secret Service agents would work around the clock, and despite firearms being banned in prisons, the agents would be armed.
Secret Service protections extend not only to current and former presidents but also to other high-ranking officials and immediate family members of protectees.
This case is the first of four criminal cases against the former president to go to trial and might be the only one resolved before the November election. The charges stemmed from payments to Playboy model Karen McDougal and adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claimed affairs with Trump and were paid to remain silent before the 2016 election. Trump allegedly reimbursed former fixer Michael Cohen for those payments.
Trump has consistently declared his innocence, asserting the charges were fabricated and that the proceedings were a political witch hunt.
Prosecutors allege the records were falsified to conceal $310,000 in payments linked to allegations by a porn star of a sexual relationship with Trump.
