The US Secret Service has held meetings and begun to work out a scenario if former President Donald Trump is held in contempt of court in his criminal extortion case and Judge Juan Merchan decides to send him to short-term detention, officials familiar with the situation told ABC News.
Merchan postponed a decision on the matter Tuesday after a contentious hearing. Prosecutors said they are seeking a fine at this point. Assistant district attorney Chris Conroy said:
We are not yet seeking an incarceratory penalty. But the defendant seems to be angling for that.
Officials don’t believe Merchan will put Trump in a cell at the courthouse, but they are planning for contingencies, officials said. What to do if Trump is found guilty and sentenced to prison has not yet been discussed.
Trump is on trial on charges of falsifying business records to conceal reimbursements of money paid by his then lawyer Michael Cohen to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.
The Secret Service declined to comment on specific plans for the case. The agency said in a statement:
Under federal law, the United States Secret Service must provide protection for current government leaders, former Presidents and First Ladies, visiting heads of state and other individuals designated by the President of the United States. 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.
Prosecutors claimed Trump violated a limited order banning speech about witnesses, jurors and lawyers in the case, except Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, on at least 10 separate occasions this month.
Trump’s attorneys said prosecutors have not proven that Trump’s social media posts criticising Cohen and Daniels were an intentional violation of the ban, and told Merchan that the former president was defending himself against attacks from likely witnesses.
Defence lawyers also argued that the media ban order was vague and allowed the former president to make “political” statements.
