Speaking to reporters late Thursday night, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg would not deny whether he plans to recommend jail time for former President Donald Trump after he was convicted by a judge and jury in a New York "trial."
"Do you plan to request a prison sentence," a reporter asked.
"The judge scheduled a sentencing for July 11. We will speak in court at that time," Bragg answered. "He also set a motion schedule. We will speak in our court filings as we've done throughout this proceeding."
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg declined to comment on whether he will recommend jail time for Donald Trump. A Manhattan jury found the former president guilty on 34 felony counts. pic.twitter.com/gmUa3JJL8a
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) May 30, 2024
Over at CNN, they're predicting jail time.
CNN legal analyst Norm Eisen, meanwhile, said that while he “strongly” agreed with O’Mara’s timeline, “In the most serious FBR [falsifying business records] cases, a sentence of imprisonment is routinely imposed.”
Eisen argued, “This is the most serious falsifying business records case in the history of the state of New York. I think Alvin Bragg is gonna ask for a sentence of incarceration and I think Judge Merchan will very seriously weigh that.”
Sentencing for Trump is set for July 11, just four days before the Republican National Convention and two weeks after the first presidential debate against President Joe Biden.
President Trump responded to the ruling and Bragg's comments with this statement:
This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt. It's a rigged trial, a disgrace. They wouldn't give us a venue change. We were at 5% or 6% in this district, in this area. This was a rigged, disgraceful trial.
The real verdict is going to be November 5th by the people. And they know what happened here, and everybody knows what happened here. You have a Soros-backed DA, and the whole thing, we didn't do a thing wrong.
I'm a very innocent man, and it's okay, I'm fighting for our country. I'm fighting for our Constitution. Our whole country is being rigged right now.
This was done by the Biden administration in order to wound or hurt an opponent, a political opponent. And I think it's just a disgrace. And we'll keep fighting. We'll fight till the end, and we'll win because our country has gone to hell.
We don't have the same country anymore. We have a divided mess. We're a nation in decline, serious decline, millions and millions of people pouring into our country right now from prisons and from mental institutions, terrorists, and they're taking over our country. We have a country that's in big trouble.
But this was a rigged decision right from Day One. With a conflicted judge who should have never been allowed to try this case. Never. And we will fight for our Constitution. This is long from over. Thank you very much.