Members of the Secret Service assigned to former President Donald Trump's security detail reportedly met with New York state corrections officials, as Trump's Manhattan hush money trial enters its final days.
As a former president, Trump is entitled to Secret Service protection for the rest of his life. If Trump is convicted he would likely be remanded to jail "on the spot," former Manhattan prosecutor Duncan Levin told CBS News. A New York corrections source told CBS that local jail officials have already met with the Secret Service to plan for this reality.
Trump is currently on trial, in Manhattan, for allegedly making illegal reimbursements to Michael Cohen to pay off adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who claims to have had an affair with the former president. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of feloniously falsyfing business records. If convicted, each charge holds a maximum sentence of four years in prison and a $5000 fine.
Judge Juan Merchan has been clear that he wanted to minimize pre-conviction jail time for Trump, given that he is the presumptive Republican nominee for president.
"He is a candidate for the presidency of the United States. So, those First Amendment rights are critically important, obviously," Merchan said on the day of Trump's arraignment, adding that jail time would be "truly a last resort for me."
"I also worry about the people who would have to execute that sanction: the court officers, the correction officers, the Secret Service detail, among others."
Despite his caution, however, Merchan told Trump that pre-conviction jail time was still a possibility.
"I want you to understand that I will, if necessary and appropriate," he said at the arraignment.
