Is It Possible Trump Will Strike a Plea Deal to Avoid Prison?

New York Magazine: “In theory, one can envision a deal that looks something like this: Trump pleads guilty to a small number of federal charges with the lowest statutory maximum penalties — say, the charge against him for causing the false certification provided in response to the Justice Department’s grand jury subpoena in Florida and the charge against him in Washington for conspiring to defraud the government, both of which have five-year maximum terms of imprisonment upon a conviction. With Trump agreeing to end his White House bid, federal prosecutors could agree to dismiss the remaining charges and not to seek prison time on the counts of conviction, with local prosecutors following suit.”

“All of this, however, is easier said than done. For starters, Justice Department policy generally requires prosecutors considering a plea agreement to “’nclude the most serious readily provable offense.’ This allows for the considerable exercise of judgment, but it is hard to see the government entirely forgoing the most serious pending charges against Trump — like the counts for obstructing the electoral certification and those for obstructing the federal investigation in Florida (all carry 20-year statutory maximum penalties).”

“Trump is also a singularly unappealing candidate for prosecutors to work out a generous plea deal with. He is now constantly railing and threatening retribution against them, and he is unreliable.”