(CNN) — Former President Donald Trump again suggested Tuesday that he would try to prosecute his political opponents if he is re-elected, as he attacked his criminal conviction in New York.
“It’s a terrible, terrible path they’re taking us down, and it very well may have to happen to them,” Trump said in an interview with Newsmax.
Trump faces the possibility of a prison sentence after being found guilty last week of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
But his suggestions that he might go after his political opponents by weaponizing the Justice Department began more than a year ago, when he was first indicted. He said he would appoint a special prosecutor to investigate President Joe Biden and his family if he is re-elected and argued several times that he believes he is justified in doing so because Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to oversee the investigations. criminals implicating Trump.
“It’s a very terrible thing. It’s a terrible precedent for our country. Does that mean the next president will do it to them? That’s really the question,” he told Newsmax.
The former president still faces charges in three other criminal cases against him, and he denied any wrongdoing.
Trump, who repeatedly called for the jailing of his 2016 Democratic presidential opponent, Hillary Clinton, even though she was never charged with a crime. He also said Tuesday that he thought it would have been a “terrible thing” for Clinton to go to jail. Recently, Trump falsely claimed in an interview with Fox News that he did not call for Clinton to be locked up.
“I got a lot of credit from a lot of people, and some people said I should have done it, but, you know, I could have done it, it would have been very easy to do it, but I thought it would be a terrible precedent for our country,” Trump said.
Trump continued: “Wouldn’t it be a terrible thing to put the president’s wife and former Secretary of State in jail? It wouldn’t be a terrible thing, but they want to do it.”
While Trump’s advisers continue to play down the idea of Trump being sentenced to prison after his conviction, the former president is telling allies that he believes he could be put behind bars.
Trump’s sentencing hearing has been set for July 11 after a Manhattan jury found him guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records last week. Prosecutors accused Trump of engaging in an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 presidential election and an illegal scheme to suppress negative information, which included concealing a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Trump’s sentence depends on Judge Juan Merchán, and could include prison sentences or probation.
Trump has told multiple people in recent days that he believes it is a possibility that he could go to prison and that he is “fine” with it, according to two sources briefed on the conversations.
His lawyers indicated they believe they have compelling arguments against prison given Trump’s age, lack of criminal record and contributions to the community.
“We’re not planning on him going to jail,” a campaign adviser insisted to CNN.
Earlier this week, Republican National Committee co-chairman Michael Whatley said the party was preparing for a scenario in which Trump addressed the Republican National Convention from jail. The convention is scheduled to begin July 15 in Milwaukee, just four days after Trump’s scheduled sentencing date.
“We’re working on it right now,” Whatley told Newsmax. “I’m actually going up to Milwaukee this week and we’re going to have a series of conversations. But look, we hope that Donald Trump is in Milwaukee and that he can accept the nomination. And if not, we’ll make whatever contingency plans we need for that.” .
Trump allies were unhappy with the framing of Whatley’s remarks, two sources told CNN.
The former president’s first campaign event since his conviction is scheduled to take place this Thursday in Phoenix. He will participate in a town hall organized by the right-wing nonprofit Turning Point Action.
This article has been updated with additional information.
