Amid the judicial circus of Donald Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records, CNN found no better way to approach this than playing it fair and square. Karen Friedman Agnifilo, their legal analyst, voiced her serious concern that special treatment might mean Trump would dodge the prison bars.
Let’s get into the nuts and bolts of what this might mean. Agnifilo elucidated that under regular circumstances, Trump would report to probation, giving them information that feeds into their “pre-sentencing report.” A crucial part of this report? Expressing remorse, a box that ex-President Trump must tick off, since Judge Juan Merchan finds it an important consideration in his sentence determination.
In her expert opinion, if we take “Trump” out of the equation, the default assumption is that any other individual convicted on similar counts would find themselves locked up. But with the Trump name, the story could go in unexpected directions.
She left us pondering, highlighting that the circumstances surrounding Trump – from his 34 felony convictions, multiple other indictments, and consistent disobedience towards judicial orders– would generally put him among the 10-30% who would get a prison sentence invariably. He could get as much as four years.
Adding some tough-to-swallow ideas to the mix, she suggested scenarios in which Trump might be sentenced to spend weekends in jail, or serve a probation period, with community service like subway cleanups. Even home arrest could be on the table.
Agnifilo wasn’t just shooting from the hip here. She knows his game, drawing from her experience of over three decades in the district attorney’s office. It’s clear to her that if Trump, despite being a non-violent, first-time offender, escapes a prison sentence, then he’s being handed preferential treatment. And she doesn’t mince words when pointing out that another person in the ex-president’s position, particularly one who’s unlikely to show remorse, would undeniably wind up behind bars.
That’s the reality, folks. This isn’t a TV show or a sensational media spin; this is the real world where actions have consequences, even for bigshots like Trump. Keep standing by as we navigate these judicial waters, keeping a discerning eye on the proceedings and what they mean for justice in our country.
