CBS chief election and campaign correspondent Robert Costa said that “the top Republicans in this country” tell him they’re preparing for the possibility that former President Donald Trump “could be in prison when he accepts the nomination.”
The question of prison for Trump has been top of mind since the jury in the Stormy Daniels hush money trial returned “guilty” verdicts on all 34 felony counts last Thursday — and Judge Juan Merchan scheduled sentencing for July 11.
On Sunday’s edition of Face the Nation Costa told host Margaret Brennan that his sources are worried Trump could be locked up when he officially gets the nod, but chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford laid out why she believes incarceration is unlikely:
MARGARET BRENNAN: Bob, the political impact here, obviously, we’re in the early stages. But we know that Lara Trump, who is chair of the RNC, said on another network this morning they had raised $70 million in 48 hours.
Is this only helpful?
ROBERT COSTA: It’s helpful in terms of raising money, but, for former President Trump, there is still a logistical nightmare on the horizon.
When I spoke to his lawyer Todd Blanche, the – he didn’t rule out the possibility that Trump could be in jail during the Republican National Convention. When sentencing happens on July 11, there’s an expectation he could be put on probation.
But this was a tense trial. I was there for seven weeks. When you sat inside that court, at times, the judge cleared the courtroom because he was so frustrated with the defense and one of the witnesses that was being called. Trump violated the gag order multiple times.
So, Republicans, the top Republicans in this country, are privately telling me they’re not ruling out the possibility that Trump could be in prison when he accepts the nomination. There’s a real concern that some traditional Republicans, suburban Republicans, might look at someone being called a convicted felon and say, I really can’t go there, even as it motivates so many of Trump’s core supporters.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But, Jan, I mean, from all the research we have done, it seems like legal experts do not believe that there will be jail time.
JAN CRAWFORD: No, not in this kind of case, not in this kind of case, first-time offender whose age…
MARGARET BRENNAN: Is that just a political talking point?
JAN CRAWFORD: I mean, I think it would be pretty shocking to most people who followed the New York court system that he would get jail time for this.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. And that’s not just because of Secret Service detail or who he is.
JAN CRAWFORD: No, it’s – if he’s treated like other defendants facing a similar charge, again, also because of his age, he’s – he would be a first-time offender.
And – and the charge itself is somewhat unusual, bringing in that federal election law.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm.
JAN CRAWFORD: So, typically, in these kind of cases, you would have other charges, fraud charges, that could then carry jail time. So that makes this case different as well. It’s just this one issue.
