In his closing arguments, former President Donald Trump's lead attorney warned the jury that a conviction could mean time behind bars.
“You cannot send someone to prison and you cannot convict somebody based upon the words of Michael Cohen,” Todd Blanche declared. That quickly earned him a rebuke from Judge Juan Merchan, the one man who – now that the jury ignored Blanche’s pleading – has the ultimate power to decide whether Trump gets hit with a fine, put on probation or is sentenced to time behind bars.
