Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin got a bit terse with each other during Wednesday morning’s episode of “The View,” as they discussed what consequences twice-impeached former president Donald Trump might face, if he ends up getting convicted of the 34 business fraud charges filed against him.
Trump was arraigned on those charges on Tuesday and, as expected, pleaded not guilty to all of them. But Hostin maintained her confidence that falsifying business records is an easy thing to prove Trump did, calling cases like these New York’s “bread and butter.”
“If you were the financial capital of the country, and some would argue the world, a lot of financial crimes occur here. And so they’re really good at doing it,” she said. “In fact, when I was a prosecutor, I got out of the antitrust division, because they were so easy. I wanted more of a challenge.”
Hostin added that cases like these are so easy because there’s usually a paper trail and, in Trump’s case, he has “distinct handwriting” so anything signed by him is very clear. She added that “it would just be so easy to prove.”
And while Farah Griffin agreed that Trump should be held accountable, she maintained her own confidence in the idea that “this case is not taking Donald Trump down.”
“The felony charges, the max sentence is four years,” she argued. “But this is a first-time offender. It’s
a non-violent crime. It’s a Class E felony. Every legal expert I’ve talked to has said most likely a fine and probation, if he’s even convicted.”
At that, Hostin got a bit curt, cutting Farah Griffin off, saying, “I’ll tell you why you’re wrong, as this legal expert.” When Alyssa tried to chime in again, exasperatedly saying “he’s not going to jail over this,” Hostin still held her off.
“That is wrong. And I will tell you why you’re wrong. Prosecutors are not only in the business of prosecuting crimes, we’re in the business of sending out a message,” she said. “If you let the President of the United States be found guilty of one to 34 counts, even if they’re misdemeanors, and he gets to go home scot-free, you’re sending a message to the country.”
You can watch the full segment from “The View” in the video above.