Secret Service Meets with New York Jail Officials as Trump Trial Draws to a Close: Report
Members of the U.S. Secret Service met with correction officials in New York to discuss the logistics of a potential prison sentence in relation to the ongoing criminal prosecution of former President Donald Trump, a report claimed.
The unprecedented prosecution of a former president — a first in the history of the country — could realistically see the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee remanded to a jail cell.
According to CBS News, which spoke to a person it described only as a “New York corrections source,” conversations are being held about what a prison sentence might look like if Trump was convicted of business crimes in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s “hush money” trial.
Trump will have his own private Secret Service detail for life, so if he finds himself in a jail cell following the conclusion of the case, he would be entitled to that security even behind bars.
But no such situation has ever occurred, so conversations are being held about what a conviction and prison sentence could look like.
CBS News reported on Tuesday: “[Prison is] a possibility that officials in state and federal agencies have begun preparing for, according to a New York corrections source, who said the Secret Service has met with local jail officials.
“As a former president, Trump is entitled to Secret Service protection for the rest of his life, wherever he happens to be. Behind bars, corrections officers would in turn be responsible for protecting those agents assigned to Trump.”
In the event Trump is sent to prison by Judge Juan Merchan, the corrections official who spoke to CBS News said a sentence could be served at New York City’s Rikers Island Jail Complex.
The prison has one wing that has housed its share of famous people, but none of them ever entered into custody with private security around them at all times.
Former Manhattan prosecutor Duncan Levin told CBS News it is imperative that a plan be in place before the case concluded in the event of a prison sentence.
“He could be remanded on the spot,” Levin said, noting that in New York state courts, judges such as Merchan have the broad discretion to either issue a sentence the moment a jury comes back to them with a verdict or schedule a later hearing.
The outlet noted, Merchan had previously stated he would only use a prison sentence in the case as a “last resort” if Trump is convicted and suggested the judge might sentence Trump to home confinement and probation if the jury finds him guilty.
Trump is accused of 34 counts of allegedly falsifying business records after disgraced former lawyer Michael Cohen claimed he paid former adult film actress Stormy Daniels to remain silent about an affair she alleged she had with Trump almost two decades ago.
Cohen said Trump reimbursed him, but his credibility took a hit on the stand last week.
Cohen admitted he stole tens of thousands of dollars from The Trump Organization during his time as Trump’s personal attorney years ago.
Closing arguments in the case concluded on Tuesday.
Merchan has hit Trump with big fines throughout the case for speaking about it on social media and elsewhere while under a gag order.
Trump has denied the charges against him and has likened the case to political persecution and election interference.
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