Trump may have to go crawling to DeSantis for help if convicted: Expert

Former President Donald Trump could have some problems that aren't immediately obvious if he ends up convicted in the criminal hush money case in Manhattan, NBC News reporter Jane Timm told MSNBC's Chris Jansing on Wednesday.

For example, in the unlikely event he actually ends up in prison before the election, he wouldn't be able to vote for himself — unless Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, with whom he bitterly fought for the 2024 presidential nomination, steps in and says that he can.

The jury is currently deliberating in the case, which charges Trump with business records fraud for allegedly concealing hush payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, a scheme that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg argues amounted to election interference against voters in 2016.

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"Donald Trump could soon join the millions of Americans who don't totally know what their voting rights are due to a criminal conviction," said Timm. "48 states bar some people with felony convictions from voting. The laws can be confusing, but we dug into them to figure it out."

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In Trump's case, Timm continued, "it comes down to whether or not he is in prison, serving time for a felony conviction on Election Day. New York's laws are very simple: if you're in prison, you cannot vote. If you're outside, on parole or having finished the term of your sentence, you can vote. If you never go to prison but have a felony conviction, you can still vote. And in Florida, where Trump actually registered to vote, they defer to states like New York for an out-of-state conviction. They say, well, we're going to follow that state's laws where that trial and conviction happened."

"Now, it gets a little confusing in if he does end up in prison in New York — which, we should say, is somewhat unlikely, due to the fact that this is a lower-level felony charge, he might get fines or probation, and even if he gets prison time, the appeals would likely push us past the November election — Florida does have a clemency program that would allow him to appeal to get voting rights back," said Timm. "Governor Ron DeSantis heads up that process. So it could make an interesting pairing if that happened, that very specific circumstance."

Watch the video below or at the link here.

Jane Timm describes how Trump could have to beg Ron DeSantis for his voting rights back www.youtube.com

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