Donald Trump’s best chance at avoiding time behind bars gets slimmer and slimmer as more of his co-defendants reach out and grab it, legal experts told the Huffington Post Wednesday.
His best chance? A plea deal.
“Pleas are like fish, and not like wine,” former White House lawyer Norm Eisen told the Huffington Post. “They do not get better with the passage of time.”
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Defendants who refuse to plead out risk earning the ire of judges who daily try to mete out justice within the confines of an overburdened judicial system, former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti told the Huffington Post.
“Judges always sentence defendants more harshly if they refuse to take responsibility for their actions and instead challenge the charges at trial,” Mariotti reportedly said.
“Particularly if they testify falsely on the witness stand.”
That might be why three of Trump’s co-defendants — Sidney Powell, Ken Chesebro and the tearful Jenna Ellis — opted to give testimony in exchange for plea deals proffered by Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis, who experts say has a bigger fish to try.
This might be why Trump’s unable or unwilling to enter a plea, lawyer George Conway told the Huffington Post.
“He’s got no one to offer up,” Conway said. “His problem is he’s the big fish.”
