Donald Trump Will Likely be Sentenced to Prison Before Election—Attorney

Donald Trump will likely be sentenced to jail in 2024, according to a prominent attorney.

"Will Trump be sentenced to jail in 2024? Likely yes," Norm Eisen, who served as former President Barack Obama's ethics czar, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday night.

Eisen made the comment in response to a clip of his appearance on CNN to discuss the criminal prosecutions that Trump is facing as he seeks to reclaim the White House in 2024.

Trump is facing 91 felony counts in four criminal cases in Washington, New York, Florida and Georgia and could be looking at years in prison if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. And as the front-runner in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, he has been pushing to delay the cases until after the November election.

Newsweek has contacted Eisen for comment via an email to The Brookings Institution, where he is a senior fellow. A Trump spokesperson has been contacted for comment via email.

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan formally postponed Trump's March 4 trial in a case brought by special counsel Jack Smith. It charges Trump with plotting to overturn the 2020 election in the run-up to the violent riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

The postponement is "a temporary win for Trump," Eisen told CNN's Omar Jimenez on Sunday.

He noted that a federal appeals court will soon rule on a pending appeal from Trump arguing that he is immune from prosecution for actions he took in the White House. A ruling that would allow the case to move forward is expected to be appealed by Trump's team, likely leading to additional delays.

"His argument here that he has absolute immunity, and he can send SEAL Team Six out to assassinate a political opponent, Omar, that can't be right," Eisen said. "The D.C. Circuit is going to reject that… I don't think that's going to fly at the Supreme Court. It's inimical to American law. So that case, yes, it's delayed, but there's plenty of time in 2024. That case is going to get back on track."

He believes that it will likely conclude before the presidential election.

"That case is going to be switched back on over the summer, and I think it's going to go and be concluded most likely," he said. "No guarantees in the law, no crystal balls they give you in law school, but most likely that case will conclude before the November election."

The four charges against Trump in the case have maximum sentences ranging from five to 20 years in prison.

The delay in that case, however, means a separate prosecution in New York charging Trump in connection with hush money payments to a porn actor will likely be the first to go to trial.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in that case. Each count is punishable by up to four years in prison, but it is not clear if a judge would impose any prison time if Trump were convicted. The trial is slated to begin in late March.

Another case brought by Smith charges Trump with mishandling classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate and repeatedly obstructing government efforts to retrieve them. The case is currently scheduled for trial on May 20, but it could be delayed. The most serious charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

Trump was also charged in Georgia over alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election result in that state. The charges include an alleged violation of Georgia's Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. A trial date has not been set in that case.