OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The Democrat district attorney in Fulton County, Ga., who brought racketeering charges against Donald Trump, said the former president won’t get a “special break” from being put behind bars if he’s convicted.
In an interview with CNN’s Nick Valencia on Thursday, DA Fani Willis was asked if the current 2024 GOP frontrunner would go to prison if he’s convicted, to which she responded that she would ask the court for an appropriate sentence because “no one gets a special break.”
“I know that in the media, and even in the world, we like instant gratification. The judicial process is a long process, and so we’ll be here with that case for a while,” she said, according to Mediaite.
Valencia responded: “When I get asked that I’m covering the story, many people say, you know, the former president is already gone to jail. Will he see prison time? What do you think about that?”
“I think that everyone in society is the same, and I don’t know why that’s such a difficult concept for people,” she replied. “You can look at the charges, and based on those charges, we’ll be recommending appropriate sentences. No one gets a special break because of their status.”
But in fact, Trump, as a former president, is not the same as the vast majority of Americans. He is statutorily protected 24/7/365 by Secret Service agents, a fact that, in and of itself, makes any potential jail term problematic, logistically speaking.
One former agent-turned-conservative broadcaster and author, Dan Bongino, explained the concept during a show in August when he advised the former president to refuse a bond when he faced a judge after he was indicted and force Willis to put him behind bars, adding that these “crazy times” called for “different, crazy, bold approaches.”
“Folks, I don’t think the Trump team should post the bond. I don’t,” he began. “This may sound like a crazy idea, but folks, we’re living in crazy times. And crazy times require different, crazy, bold approaches.”
“Fani Willis wants to be a smarta** tyrant, little socialist communist like she is down in Fulton County, Georgia? Don’t post. Don’t post the bond,” Bongino, also a former NYPD officer, continued. “You’re gonna jail him? Let’s elect our first political prisoner. Go ahead. Go to jail. Let the Secret Service shut the entire jail down, and we’ll see how long you’re willing to keep this charade going.”
“Let them put him in jail for a bit — folks, I know it sounds crazy,” he added, saying that the Secret Service had the authority under federal law to declare anything a protected area — even a jail — and that if the former president were to spend any time there, they would have to do that.
“You may think it’s a crazy idea,” he said again, adding, “I don’t think so. Folks, you’ve seen people around the world take a stand like this. And it’s easy for me to say, I get it, I wouldn’t be the one in a prison cell — but you want to send a message? Let’s see, let’s see what happens.”
The talk host and former Fox News personality said that if Trump were to be jailed, Americans should protest outside the facility every day. “Make them put you in jail and make them show America their a**es and show America who they really are. And let’s see how long this lasts,” he said, adding that “the eff around and find out time has long since passed.”
Dan Bongino (@dbongino) makes a GREAT point on why it might be a good idea for President Trump NOT to post bail.
Put on the pressure!
Take a listen: pic.twitter.com/xUmWjNHII7
— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) August 23, 2023
Trump, however, did not take Bongino’s advice. He did post bond and was never at risk of being jailed.
In addition, he also refused to try and move his trial to a federal court, as some other co-defendants are attempting to do.
