(Patriot.Buzz) – Following the unprecedented legal schemes against the leading presidential candidate, Senate Republicans are warning New York Judge Juan Merchan against sentencing former President Trump to prison or house arrest.
The lawmakers argue that by doing so, Merchan could hinder Trump’s presidential campaign before the November election.
Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts for falsifying business documents is expected to be appealed, a process that could stretch for months.
Observers doubt that the U.S. Supreme Court will step in to assist him despite its conservative leanings.
Judge Merchan has a range of sentencing options from jail time to probation. He will decide Trump’s sentence on July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention.
Senior Judiciary Committee member Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said he was concerned about using the judiciary for political gain, labeling potential incarceration as a “further abuse of power.”
He noted, “I’m very troubled by what I see in the way the courts have been weaponized.”
“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,” he added.
Other Republicans, including Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) argued that any sentence limiting Trump’s ability to campaign could undermine the public’s trust in the electoral process.
Budd criticized the trial’s fairness and did not rule out the possibility of bias from Judge Merchan, saying, “I would put nothing past him at this point.”
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) was surprised by Trump’s conviction and worried about the implications of Trump being imprisoned during the election cycle.
He argued any sentence should be consistent with precedents set in similar cases to avoid perceptions of political bias.
Legal experts suggest the maximum possible sentence for Trump could be 20 years, despite the potential for a longer term.
Trump’s legal team is expected to request deferral of any sentence until after his appeals, which might extend beyond Election Day.
Meanwhile, some senators like Rand Paul (R-KY) believe the Supreme Court might ultimately overturn the conviction and criticized the judicial process as indicative of a flawed system.
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