Donald Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche has revealed he was “expecting” the guilty verdicts in the hush money trial and conceded he can’t rule out a prison term for the former president.
“This is a verdict we were expecting, we’re going to appeal, and we’re going to win on appeal,” he told The Today Show Friday.
“Shock and surprise at what happened? Not really. We didn’t think we’d get a fair shake in Manhattan and we didn’t.”
Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts by a Manhattan jury for forging business records to hide $130,000 paid by his former fixer lawyer Michael Cohen to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about their alleged affair ahead of the 2016 election. 3 Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche says the president was not surprised. NBC 3 Trump’s attorney vows to win on appeal. AP 3 Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts. Mark Peterson/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Asked whether he thought Trump would be sentenced to prison, Blanche was unable to rule it out.
“I don’t know what DA Bragg is going to do in the run up to the sentencing in July,” he said.
“I would hope not. Under the guidelines and the rules of the court of what would normally happen, President Trump would not face a day in prison,” he said.
“Putting aside the fact he was president of the US, the conduct we’re talking about is 7-9 years old. He’s a husband, a grandfather, he should not go to prison. I don’t know what the District Attorney is going to do.
“We’re going to fight.”
Trump is set to be sentenced on July 11 just four days before the start of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
