President Donald Trump is to be sentenced in New York on July 11, just four days before the Republican National Convention is set to begin on July 15 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where delegates are to cast their votes Trump as the presidential nominee.
Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records — normally a misdemeanor, for which the statute of limitations had already expired. District Attorney Alvin Bragg prosecuted the case as a felony by asserting that the alleged falsification of business records was done to cover up a federal crime. Trump has not been convicted of such a crime, and the prosecutors did not specify what crime was committed, nor did it have to prove the elements thereof.
The former president has maintained throughout the trial that it was a form of election interference, a rigged trial in which Judge Juan Merchan had been hand-picked despite (or because of) his many political conflicts. Regardless, there is almost no scenario in which a victory by President Joe Biden would be seen as legitimate, given the unprecedented trial and potential jailing of his political opponent.
The Republican National Convention is certain to nominate Trump as its candidate, whether he is present or in prison. The stakes for the future of the country could not be higher.
