Former Federal Prosecutor Warns of Potential Sentence for Trump in Election Interference Case

Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann has warned what kind of sentence may await Donald Trump if the former president is convicted in his election interference case.

Trump Could Face Equal Prison Time as Former Proud Boys Leader

After former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was on Tuesday sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the violent Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Weismann told MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell that Trump, if convicted in the trial that U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has scheduled to start on Mar. 4, would likely face just as much time behind bars.

The Pressure on Judges to Impose Fair Sentences

“I think that the pressure that the judges will feel, who have seen so many people go to jail, rightly, for their participation on Jan. 6th, the idea that Donald Trump wouldn’t do at least as much time as the leaders of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys, to me, seems unimaginable,” he explained. “Because that’s what the rule of law would require.”

Sign of What’s to Come if Convicted

“I think that this is a real sign of what’s to come if Donald Trump is convicted,” Weissmann added, noting Trump is “presumed innocent at this point.”