A spokesperson for former President Donald Trump's campaign commented this week on reports of a Trump clemency recipient being convicted of a domestic violence-related charge by saying, "President Trump believes anyone convicted of a crime should spend time behind bars.”
The statement from Trump’s national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, to The New York Times was in response to a new conviction of Jaime A. Davidson, whose sentence Trump commuted in 2021.
Trump was convicted in May by a Manhattan jury on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 18.
Asked if Trump’s view on jail time for convicts relates to his own conviction, Leavitt gave NBC News a slightly different statement than what she told The New York Times, writing, “President Trump believes criminals should spend time behind bars, unlike Kamala Harris, who wants to eliminate cash bail.”
Trump has long sought to portray his New York conviction and other pending trials as witch hunts.
On Tuesday, a federal judge rejected Trump's bid to transfer the New York hush money case to federal court.
Trump's legal team is also asking the judge who presided over the case, Juan Merchan, to delay the sentencing until after the Nov. 5 presidential election. Merchan is set to rule on the matter Sept. 16, two days before the sentencing hearing.
Trump has been charged in other cases — two involving election interference allegations and one focused on classified documents. He has pleaded not guilty in each case.
