Donald Trump Guilty: Will He Go To Jail And Can He Still Run For President?
Donald Trump is unlikely to be sentenced to prison time and can still run for president despite having been found guilty in his criminal hush-money trial.
On Thursday, Trump became the first U.S. president to be convicted of a crime when a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying business records in connection with hush-money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
The guilty verdict has raised questions about Trump's eligibility to run for president and whether or not he will go to jail.
While falsifying business records typically carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison, Trump is unlikely to be sentenced to jail time because the crime is nonviolent, and the GOP 2024 presidential candidate has no prior convictions, the Washington Post reported, citing legal experts.
Legal analyst Elie Honig told CNN that those convicted of a Class E felony like falsifying business records are usually sentenced to probation, fines, community service, or a combination of them.
If Trump gets probation, he would have to seek a parole officer's approval before he can leave New York.
A New York lawyer who had a client sentenced to three years of conditional discharge for falsifying business records noted that precedent may not be applicable in Trump's case.
"Typically this is not the kind of case where you would expect a first-time white-collar offender to receive a sentence of incarceration," Andrew Weinstein told Reuters. "But everything about Trump is different, so I don't think you can look historically at other sentences because he's just a different animal."
Despite now being a convicted felon, Trump can continue to run for president and, if elected, serve another term in the White House.
Under the U.S. Constitution, the requirements for presidential candidates include being at least 35 and a natural-born citizen who has lived in the country for a minimum of 14 years -- all of which applies to Trump.
The 14th Amendment also states that no one who has engaged in insurrection can run for president, but Trump has not been charged with insurrection.
Reacting to the jury's decision, Trump told reporters Thursday that the verdict was a "disgrace" and vowed to "fight" it.
"This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt," the former president was quoted as saying by CBS News.
Trump added, "The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people, and they know what happened here and everybody knows what happened here. We'll fight to the end."
Trump's sentencing has been set for July 11.
