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Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis says that former President Donald Trump should not be expecting "a special break" on sentencing if he is convicted in his upcoming election subversion trial.
Trump is facing 13 felony charges in Fulton County, where he is accused of illegally attempting to overturn his 2020 Georgia election loss to President Joe Biden. Willis has proposed an August 5, 2024, trial date for the former president and 14 of his co-defendants. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Willis told CNN on Thursday that Trump would receive an "appropriate" sentence regardless of this "status" if a jury finds him guilty at the conclusion of the trial. She made the remarks during a "Shaq-a-Thon" charity event in Atlanta, where she distributed toys to children alongside former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal.
"I think that everyone in society is the same, and I don't know why that's such a difficult concept for people," Willis said when asked if Trump could face prison time. "You can look at the charges, and based on those charges, we'll be recommending appropriate sentences. No one gets a special break because of their status."
Willis also said that the case against Trump and co-defendants would take "a while" to conclude, explaining that "the judicial process is a long process" despite the public's desire for "instant gratification."
Newsweek reached out for comment to Trump's office via email on Thursday.
Willis has hinted that Trump could be sentenced to prison before. In a November email exchange, she purportedly told defense attorneys that they should expect "a long road ahead" with legal careers that continue "long after these folks are in jail," according to The Guardian.
Trump could be sentenced to more than 70 years behind bars if he is convicted of all charges in Georgia. He is facing an additional 78 felony charges in three other criminal cases, carrying a combined maximum prison sentence of several hundred years.
Several experts told Newsweek earlier this month that the former president facing time behind bars would present a massive security challenge for prison officials.
Robert Rogers, an associate professor of criminal justice at Middle Tennessee State University and a former Federal Bureau of Prisons officer, warned that fellow inmates might attempt to kill Trump "just to make a name for themselves."
Four of Trump's co-defendants in Fulton County could testify against him after reaching plea agreements with prosecutors. Bail bondsman Scott Hall joined former Trump lawyers Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro in pleading guilty. Trump is not expected to be offered a plea deal.
Former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance suggested on her Substack account earlier this month that Chesebro, the alleged architect of a plot to throw the election to Trump using fake electors, could provide "direct evidence" of the ex-president's guilt.
Trump, who is currently campaigning as the leading GOP candidate in the 2024 presidential election, denies all wrongdoing and claims that all of his legal difficulties amount to "election interference" and a "witch hunt" by his political opponents.
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About the writer
Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ... Read more