The Secret Service has reportedly met with New York jail officials to prepare for a possible Donald Trump conviction in the hush money witch hunt.

A New York corrections source told CBS News it’s possible that officials in state and federal agencies have started preparing for a possible conviction.

The source told the outlet the Secret Service has met with local jail officials.

Per CBS News:

As a former president, Trump is entitled to Secret Service protection for the rest of his life, wherever he happens to be. Behind bars, corrections officers would in turn be responsible for protecting those agents assigned to Trump.

Where Trump might serve any jail or prison sentence is one of many factors that remains up in the air. Shorter sentences can be served at the city’s Rikers Island Jail Complex, which has two wings that are typically used for high-profile or infamous inmates. (Neither, of course, has ever held someone who comes with his own security detail.)

Officials must have a plan in place, just in case, said Levin.

“He could be remanded on the spot,” Levin said.

The Daily Wire reports:

If Trump is convicted in New York, POLITICO said the presiding judge would schedule a separate hearing to determine a sentence. He may not end up serving any prison time, with possible alternatives including probation or community service.

During closing arguments, defense lawyer Todd got a scolding from Judge Juan Merchan for suggesting to the jury that Trump could go to jail if convicted, according to The Washington Post.

“That was outrageous, Mr. Blanche. Someone who’s been a prosecutor as long as you have, someone who’s been an attorney as long as you have knows that is highly inappropriate,” he said.

Merchan also reportedly announced that he would give the jury a curative instruction after a lunch break.

“President Trump is innocent. He did not commit any crimes, and the district attorney has not met their burden of proof, period,” defense attorney Todd Blanche said during the closing arguments, according to the Associated Press.

From the Associated Press:

In an hourslong address to the jury, Blanche attacked the foundation of the case, which charges Trump with conspiring to conceal hush money payments prosecutors say were made on his behalf during the 2016 presidential campaign to stifle a porn actor’s claim that she had a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier.

With sweeping denials mirroring his client’s “deny everything” approach, Blanche countered the prosecution’s portrayal of Trump as a detail-oriented manager who paid dutiful attention to the checks he signed; disputed the contention that Trump and the porn actor, Stormy Daniels, had sex; and rejected the idea that the alleged hush money scheme amounted to illegal interference in the election.

“Every campaign in this country is a conspiracy to promote a candidate, a group of people who are working together to help somebody win,” Blanche said.

After more than four weeks of testimony, the summations tee up a momentous and historically unprecedented task for the jury as it decides whether to convict the presumptive Republican presidential nominee just months before the November election. The political implications of the proceedings were unmistakable as President Joe Biden’s campaign staged an event outside the courthouse with actor Robert De Niro while Blanche reminded jurors that the case was not a referendum on their views about Trump.

 

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