The Secret Service is reportedly preparing for the possibility that former President Donald Trump will be incarcerated.
ABC News reported Tuesday, citing “officials familiar with the situation,” that the agency is developing plans for what to do if the former president is confined for repeated violations of Judge Juan Merchan’s gag order in his current hush-money trial in New York.
“Officials do not necessarily believe Merchan would put Trump in a holding cell in the courthouse but they are planning for contingencies,” ABC wrote.
Former presidents have a legal right to lifetime protection from the Secret Service but the agency said only that much in a statement to ABC News.
“For all settings around the world, we study locations and develop comprehensive and layered protective models that incorporate state-of-the-art technology, protective intelligence and advanced security tactics to safeguard our protectees. Beyond that, we do not comment on specific protective operations,” the statement said.
Apart from any guilty verdicts in the four clusters of cases being brought against Mr. Trump, there is a possibility he could be temporarily jailed by Judge Merchan during the trial.
Prosecutors are arguing that Mr. Trump has committed at least 10 violations this month of Judge Merchan’s gag order, which prohibits statements about witnesses, jurors, and lawyers in the case other than Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
After a hearing Tuesday on the prosecutors’ request for a ruling on the purported gag violations, Judge Merchan reserved his decision.
Violating a gag order can result in jail time but prosecutors said they don’t want to go down that route, at least for now, and only want a fine.
“We are not yet seeking an incarceratory penalty,” Assistant District Attorney Chris Conroy said.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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