Donald Trump became the first former POTUS to be found guilty of a crime after a jury convicted him on 34 counts of falsifying business documents last month.
As the 77-year-old's Thursday, July 11, sentencing hearing approaches, Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley argued it would be "absurd" for Judge Juan Merchan to send him to prison.
Turley pointed out that Trump went on trial with the whole world knowing who he was — including the judge and jurors.
"They either love him or they hate him. I’ve never met anyone in the middle of those two camps," the legal analyst said. "And so I don’t think that the needle is going to move much here. But it also would be absurd to send him to jail."
"He is an elderly first offender, nonviolent crime, and a very controversial prosecution," Turley continued. "This whole case could be overturned ultimately, on appeal. I think that Judge Merchan would be considerably outside the navigational beacons to send him to even a day in jail."
Turley also claimed he wouldn't be "surprised" if Merchan did choose to dole out a prison sentence, accusing the judge of being "really quite biased in terms of his rulings."
AsOK! previously reported, a New York jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business documents related to a $130,000 payment given to Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election.
Following his conviction, the controversial politician promised to appeal the decision and called the judge "corrupt."
"The real verdict is gonna be November 5th by the people," he said after the ruling. "We have a Soros-backed DA and the whole thing, we didn't do a thing wrong. I'm a very innocent man."
However, Vice President Kamala Harris called out the embattled ex-prez for his frequent rants regarding his legal woes while speaking at the Michigan Democratic Party Legacy Dinner on Saturday, June 8.
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"Following his conviction in New York last month, Trump has been claiming the whole trial was rigged. That's false," she said. "Just look at the facts. Over the course of six weeks, a jury of 12 Americans reviewed the evidence. His defense attorney actively participated in selecting that jury. And actively made decisions about which witnesses to call and cross-examine. And the jury came back with a unanimous decision. Guilty on 34 counts."
"You know why he complains?" she asked. "Because the reality is, cheaters don’t like getting caught."