Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by mrosett 960 days ago
I don’t think he was ever offered a plea deal
2 comments

I feel in the federal system, they'll offer pleas to everyone under you to get to you. But once they've got to you, you're the target, and there's little motivation to let you plead out.

Perhaps the only one (potentially, and not trying to derail this) might be Donald Trump (but I also have a hard time seeing him accepting a plea deal on the current raft of bullshit around him).

> Perhaps the only one (potentially, and not trying to derail this) might be Donald Trump (but I also have a hard time seeing him accepting a plea deal on the current raft of bullshit around him).

(Not sure what “current raft of bullshit around him implies” but derail ahead)

Trump is no stranger to settling cases and making deals with prosecutors(1)(2) but all cases he’s facing now having such face-losing punishments even on plea that he can’t afford to take any.

(1) https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trump-lawsuit-idUSKBN13D1...

(2) https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/how-ivanka-trump-an...

My understanding is that he was, in fact, not offered a plea deal.
I wonder if a valid option could have been to plea guilty and throw himself at the mercy of the court to receive a lesser sentence.
Does that work? I mean, he could plea guilty just to save some lawyer expense for his parents but I don't think he had a better choice than going for a hail mary.
I think you actually do get credit for pleading guilty in the sentencing guidelines.