Secret Service chiefs are working on plans for how their agents will continue to protect Donald Trump if he is imprisoned.
By law, former US presidents are entitled to round-the-clock security for the rest of their lives, meaning security staff will have to accompany Trump if he is incarcerated.
Falsification of business records does not usually lead to a prison sentence. Many legal experts argue home confinement or probation is the more likely outcome.
But the case against the Trump is unique and his campaign of attacks against Judge Juan Merchan, who will decide his sentence on July 11, could backfire.
Federal agents had until Friday avoided discussing what would happen if Trump was handed a lengthy prison sentence, according to AT Smith, former deputy director of the US Secret Service.
“They didn’t want to unfairly telegraph any information or make it look as if a plan was in place,” Smith, a former protection officer for Bill Clinton, told the Telegraph.
“Having said that, they will obviously probably now have some discussions about ‘what if’,” he said.
While the concept is completely novel to all those involved, Smith said the Secret Service would not allow the “protective mission to in any way be flawed”.
“They’ll rise to the occasion, they will work with the counterparts that may become necessary depending upon the judge’s decision... in order to accomplish their mission, which is the protection of the former President.”
Former President Donald Trump leaves the courthouse after a jury found him guilty of all 34 felony counts in his criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court, New York. Photo / Pool via AP
Smith said some preliminary discussions took place when it looked as though Trump may be given a short prison sentence for repeatedly violating his gag order.
“I do know that there were several options discussed just in case,” he said.
One of the options, he said, would have been to send the former President to the “VIP” west wing of Rikers Island prison in the Bronx.
But the notorious prison only accommodates inmates who are sentenced for up to one year, and Trump could be given a four-year prison term for his 34 convictions of falsifying business records.
Another option would have been to keep Trump on the medical ward at Bellevue Hospital on the ninth floor, where there is a detention facility.
Sarena Townsend, the former head of internal affairs at Rikers Island, said Trump would not be in a “typical dorm cell situation” but would be held in a separate area.
And for Trump to exercise outside, the prison would likely need to shut down the yard to other inmates and “Secret Service would be surrounding him”.
However, she told the Telegraph the prison authorities would need to “straddle the line” to ensure they did not appear to prioritise Trump “to the detriment of other detainees”.
“They would probably want to try to balance what that looks like ... so that there aren’t lawsuits, or complaints to the media like ‘Hey, I didn’t get enough out of cell time because Donald Trump wanted to be in the area’.”
Former US President Donald Trump addressed reporters after he was convicted of trying to illegally influence the 2016 election by falsifying business records. Photo / AP
In prison Trump would be subjected to the same three meals a day as the other inmates.
But he would be able to purchase extra items, such as his beloved Diet Coke, from the commissary.
Smith said the reality of the job as a Secret Service agent is “not always completely pleasant” and protection officers are only assigned for four to five years due to the difficult nature of the role.
“Everybody thinks about the agents and the dark suits and sunglasses with earpieces, but they don’t necessarily think about, you know, standing in the hallway of a hotel, or eight or 10 hours during the night while someone sleeps and that part of it is not very glamorous,” he said.
The agents he has spoken to have shown no “emotion” in response to the prospect.
“They’re all professionals, they understand that world events can change on a dime and they are ready to do whatever is necessary to protect the former President under the law,” he said.
Smith did have some advice for any prospective agents who might be given such a task.
“I think I’d bring my own lunch. I wouldn’t want to eat in the cafeteria if I could avoid it,” he said.
A Secret Service spokesman said Friday’s verdict had “no bearing on the manner in which the United States Secret Service carries out its protective mission”.
“Our security measures will proceed unchanged,” he added.
New York’s Department of Corrections said it would “find appropriate housing for him [Trump] if he winds up in our custody”.
