Former President Donald Trump will be sentenced just four days before the Republican National Convention after a jury found him guilty on all counts of business crimes on Thursday.
A jury of 12 New Yorkers made history when they convicted Trump of 34 questionable felony counts of falsifying business records in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s bid to sideline Trump from the 2024 election.
As Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky noted, there was no “underlying crime” laid out by the prosecution.
Guilty on 34 counts, but no underlying crime. Partisan hacks serving as judges, investigators, and prosecutors have turned our legal system into a farce at both the state and federal level. pic.twitter.com/It2tcRHpxG
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) May 30, 2024
According to The Hill, Judge Juan Merchan has scheduled Trump’s sentencing hearing for July 11.
The 2024 convention is slated to begin in Milwaukee on July 15 and will wrap up on July 18.
Trump ran away with the primary quickly earlier this year and barring something unforeseen, he will be nominated.
What the convention might look like now is up in the air.
Will Trump win?
Yes: 95% (21 Votes)
No: 5% (1 Votes)
Not only had a former president never been tried in criminal court before Bragg used his office to go after Trump, but Merchan could very well put Trump behind bars.
The U.S. Secret Service, which is tasked with guarding Trump for the remainder of his life, had already been in talks with officials in New York over the possibility Trump could be remanded to a jail cell.
Merchan could also place Trump under house arrest and sentence him to probation.
Trump reacted to Thursday’s conviction with fury, describing the jury’s decision and Bragg’s case against him as a “disgrace.”
“A RIGGED TRIAL BY A CONFLICTED JUDGE WHO IS CORRUPT. WE WILL FIGHT FOR OUR CONSTITUTION—THIS IS LONG FROM OVER!” he wrote on social media.
In a separate post, Trump commented that the American people will decide his fate on election day in November.
“The real verdict will be on November 5th by THE PEOPLE—they know what happened here,” he posted online.
Trump also announced he will be holding a news conference on Friday at 11 a.m. ET from Trump Tower in Manhattan.
