7NEWS legal expert Jeff Robbins discussed legal next steps for Donald Trump Thursday after a jury found him guilty on all counts in his New York hush money trial.
“It’s a somber day, for obvious reasons, that you have the former president of the United States having been found guilty of 34 felonies,” said Robbins, a veteran trial lawyer and former assistant US attorney for Massachusetts.
“If there is a silver lining, I suppose, it is that this is a demonstration to all of us and to the world that the United States is a country of laws, of adherence to laws over individuals,” Robbins continued.
Robbins, who also served as a special assistant attorney general in Massachusetts and as a lawyer for congressional investigative committees, said Trump and his defense team will likely move quickly to file an appeal.
Once filed, Robbins said, the appeal process is lengthy.
As for Trump’s three other indictments in state and federal courts, Robbins said he doubts Thursday’s New York conviction will have any impact.
For various reasons in each case, he said, it is also unlikely any of the other cases will have Trump facing another trial before November.
“As a practical matter, I don’t think there’s going to be another criminal trial that this former president faces before the election,” Robbins said.
Trump’s sentencing in his hush money case is currently scheduled for July 11.
The penalty for the falsifying business records charges for which Trump has been found guilty could be to four years behind bars, as reported by the Associated Press.
But prosecutors have not said whether they intend to seek jail time and it is not clear whether Judge Juan Merchan would choose imprisonment as Trump’s punishment, the AP reported.
Trump would still be able to run and serve as president, if elected, even if he is imprisoned.