It’s uncharted territory for Judge Juan Merchan as he weighs the sentencing of former President Donald Trump.
But if Senate Republicans have their way, the sentence for the 77-year-old presumptive presidential GOP nominee would not include jail time or house arrest.
They would also prefer Merchan not to anything that would impede Trump’s ability to campaign for his return to the White House, per The Hill.
Now a there’s been a conviction, the appeals process could take months to complete. Plus, legal experts do not expect the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in the meantime.
Trump’s fate lies in the hands of Merchan, who can pick a sentence ranging from prison and house arrest to probation and community service.
Merchan’s decision weighs heavy on Republican senators who have already been vocal about their perceived unfair trial.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas)\ said it would be a “further abuse of power” if Trump was sentenced to incarceration or home confinement.
“I’m very troubled by what I see in the way the courts have been weaponized,” he said. “It used to be there were some institutions in America, namely the FBI, the Department of Justice and the courts, which were regarded as out of bounds for overt partisan politics, but unfortunately that’s changed, and not for the better.”
Republican senators point to any sentence which impedes Trump’s ability to campaign as leading to an unfair election.
Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) called it “foolish” for Merchan to sentence Trump to jail or house arrest.
“But when you see the conviction and the rules that he instructed the jury with, it’s completely unfair, it’s unconstitutional, and I would put nothing past him at this point,” he said of Merchan.
Budd added a harsh sentence “would only strengthen the resolve of the Americans to support President Trump.”
Sen. Thom Tills (R-N.C.)
never thought Trump would be convicted and doesn’t know what to think now.
“With this process, anything is possible,” he said.
