Judge Juan Merchan set Donald Trump’s sentencing date for July 11 at 10 a.m. ET.
A panel of New York jurors on Thursday found the former president guilty of all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records after deliberating for nearly 12 hours over two days.
Not only is Trump the first former president to be found guilty of a felony, but he’s also the first major-party presidential nominee to be convicted of a crime in the midst of a campaign for the White House. And if he defeats President Joe Biden in November, he will be the first sitting president in history to be a convicted felon.
The July 11 sentencing hearing happens just days before the start of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
While prison time is a possibility, the judge is not required to sentence Trump to jail. Merchan could sentence Trump to probation or a sentence of up to 4 years on each count in state prison, with a maximum of 20 years.
Here’s a further breakdown of the potential sentence Trump could face:
- The maximum penalty for each count of falsifying business records is four years in prison, the judge has discretion over how long any prison sentence for each count should be, and whether the sentences would run consecutively (one after another) or concurrently (at the same time).
- Even if the judge orders the sentences to be served consecutively, New York law caps total sentencing for this type of low-level felony at 20 years.
- The judge may also consider imprisoning him for a period that is a fraction of the maximum penalty.
- But it’s entirely possible the judge could forego prison entirely and sentence him to probation and/or a fine, especially in light of the nonviolent nature of the charges and because the former president does not have a criminal record.
McConnell, known for having strained relationship with Trump, has yet to comment on the verdict
From CNN’s Morgan Rimmer and Piper Hudspeth Blackburn
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has still not commented after former President Donald Trump was found guilty on all charges in the hush money trial.
The three senators who have declared their candidacy for McConnell’s leadership position next Congress — Sens. John Thune, John Cornyn and Rick Scott — have all condemned the verdict.
Trump and McConnell have a strained relationship. CNN reported in January that the two hadn’t spoken in more than three years.
McConnell, who will step down as the Senate’s Republican leader in November, endorsed Trump in March, shortly after the former president dominated races across the country
The Manhattan district attorney spoke to reporters following Trump’s guilty verdict. Here’s what he said
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg held a news conference shortly after the jury in Donald Trump’s hush money trial found the former president guilty of 34 felony counts.
Bragg began the conference by thanking the jury, and went on to applaud the prosecution team and defend the work of his office.
“Our job is to follow the facts and the law without fear or favor, and that’s exactly what we did here,” Bragg said, adding that while there are “many voices out there, the only voice that matters is the voice of the jury.”
He also noted that both the trial and verdict were arrived at “in the same manner as every other case that comes through the courtroom doors.”
However, Bragg declined to answer questions on Judge Juan Merchan potentially sentencing Trump to prison, or on how the district attorney’s office would respond to an appeal.
“I’m going to let our words in court speak for themselves when we get to the sentencing matter,” Bragg said. “I’m not going to address hypotheticals. They raise arguments, we’ll respond.”
See how people reacted after learning about Trump’s guilty verdict
Jurors found former President Donald Trump guilty Thursday on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
See how people reacted after they learned the news:
