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Trump's NY criminal trial to mark milestone in American politics

Erik Larson and Patricia Hurtado, Bloomberg News on

Published in Political News

The Bragg trial will refocus the public’s attention on Trump’s conduct with women after he was found liable for sexually assaulting the writer E. Jean Carroll, and reveal the extent to which he allegedly sought to bury salacious news about himself before the 2016 vote.

Trump’s alleged affair with Daniels is expected to resurface in tawdry detail. Testimony from witnesses, and likely from Daniels herself, will offer an insider’s view of what happened. That includes insight into how she received payments from Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, the government’s star witness, and how Trump reimbursed him.

If Trump is found guilty, he could potentially be given a prison term before the summer. Sentencing hearings normally happen within weeks of a verdict.

Michael Zeldin, a former federal prosecutor, said the judge will have great leeway to decide when to sentence Trump and for how long. Trump didn’t leave a trail of victims in the hush-money case and doesn’t have a history of convictions, which might sway the judge to issue a shorter sentence or probation.

“The likelihood that he’ll ever be in a jail cell is remote,” Zeldin said. “I continue to think that if Trump is convicted in New York, he will remain free pending appeal.”

 

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(With assistance from Jordan Fabian and Shelby Knowles.)

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