Law professor Jonathan Turley of George Washington University said Donald Trump’s legal team “should not delude itself” about the gravity of the charges against the former president.
Trump was arraigned on Tuesday in a federal court in Miami where he faces 37 counts in a case centering on his retention of government documents upon leaving office. He pleaded not guilty to all counts.
On Special Report a few hours later, Bret Baier noted that Trump sent an email to supporters after his court appearance to ask for money.
“Please make a contribution to peacefully stand with me and SAVE the greatest country in history – for 1,500% impact,” it said.
“No matter what you think, this is all extremely serious,” Baier said. “They can talk about the politics around it and the allegations, but there are years behind each one of these charges.”
“There absolutely are,” Turley responded. “And the Trump team shoul(d not delude itself. This is a very damaging indictment. These photographs, the audiotape, the statements from former counsel – those all hit below the waterline and they’re going to cause damage.”
Turley went on to say that given that Trump will turn 77 on Wednesday, any prison sentence he may receive could be “terminal.”
“But the important thing to remember is tomorrow this will be a client who is 77 years old,” he continued. “And even though one can debate where a court would put a sentence for a first offender, this is a very serious matter for someone of that age. It can be a terminal sentence if the judge decides to impose a significant jail period. Now, each of these counts range from 10 years to 20 years. And they’ve gotta run the table.”
(Excerpt) Read more in: Mediaite