Trump could ask to be excused and waive his right to be present, but the prosecution could object. The judicial process is built around the idea that defendants are there to answer charges, and New York law requires that a defendant be present at trial. His trial in Georgia on charges of election interference would be televised if it occurs.ĭoes Trump have to be in court every day? Similarly, if or when his federal trials on charges of election interference and mishandling classified data occur, there are rules that likely bar the broadcast of those as well. It is possible that photos and video inside the courtroom may be taken prior to proceedings, as occurred during his New York civil fraud trial. The judge, Juan Merchan, could in theory make an exception, but he did not allow cameras to broadcast Trump’s arraignment last year. While many states frequently broadcast trials, New York state civil rights law limits what is allowed. Not surprisingly, I was told by a spokesman that this is “something we can not comment on at this time.”īut note that as a matter of US law, former presidents and their spouses are afforded lifetime Secret Service protection, unless they decline it. I reached out to the Secret Service to ask if they had planned for the potential that Trump could be imprisoned. If Trump were sent to prison, would he still have his presidential Secret Service protecting him in jail? ET where she’ll answer a lot more of your questions. If the judge should decide to incarcerate post-conviction, Secret Service would become the elephant in the, well, cell. The unprecedented nature of incarcerating a former president would raise questions about how best to ensure equal treatment under the law and security for a former president. Because the crimes involve nonviolent offenses and Trump does not have a criminal record, the judge could also consider jailing him for a period that is but a fraction of the maximum penalty.Īnother possibility is that the judge could forego prison entirely and place him on probation with the possibility of incarceration looming over his head if he fails to abide by the conditions set by the judge. The maximum penalty for each of those counts is four years however New York caps sentencing for this type of felony at 20 years. It is within the judge’s discretion to decide whether those sentences would run concurrently or consecutively. What questions do you have about Trump’s hush money trial? Ask us here.Fact check: Trump’s false and unsubstantiated claims about his Manhattan criminal case.Your questions about Trump’s trial, answered.A timeline of the Donald Trump-Stormy Daniels hush money case.Get up to speed on Trump's criminal trial I went to CNN’s chief legal analyst Laura Coates for the single, most-asked question, which was asked in many ways but boils down to: Could Trump actually go to jail?Ĭoates: If Trump were to be found guilty of all of the counts, he could theoretically be facing more than a decade in prison. The 34 felony counts are classified as Class E felonies in New York, the lowest level felony in the state. Trump, by the way, denies having the affairs and has pleaded not guilty in the case.

Most of the questions come directly from reader submissions, but for others, I’ve taken the liberty of simplifying multiple submissions into one question. Keep reading for a representative sampling, which helps explain the case, along with context from CNN’s reporters and coverage. Not all of it was fit to print.īut there were a lot of legitimate and very thoughtful questions. When CNN asked for your questions about former President Donald Trump’s upcoming first criminal trial – for his role in hush money payments made before the 2016 election to women who said they had affairs with him – we got a flood of input.

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