Trump 'gala' honoring J6 rioters' 'courage and sacrifice' may violate his bail terms
Donald Trump is planning on hosting a gathering of convicted felons next month — and one legal expert is pointing out that the event may frustrate his efforts to remain a free man.
According to NJ.com, the ex-president is hosting a "J6 awards gala" at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club next month. Progressive group MeidasTouch reported that on September 5, Trump will be joined by former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and MAGA influencer Anthony Raimondi at the event, where he is expected to personally address participants in the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
"We gather to pay tribute not only to these individuals but to all J6 defendants who have shown incredible courage and sacrifice," the event's description read.
READ MORE: Nearly all J6 defendants Trump wants to pardon assaulted police officers: security experts
A poster for the gala teases a "#1 music chart plaque" for the so-called "J6 prison choir's" song "Justice for All," which is a rendition of the national anthem. MeidasTouch referred to the giveaway as "a chance to win a plaque commemorating the fact that MAGA folks bought a bunch of copies of his J6 ‘song’ called ‘Justice for All’ earning him a fleeting spot on the Billboard music chart."
However, if Trump follows through with the gala, it may complicate his own legal situation. According to attorney Tristan Snell – who prosecuted the former president over his sham Trump University while at the New York Attorney General's office — New York state law would prohibit such an event given the expected guest list.
"Someone should alert Trump's probation officer — because convicted felons are legally prohibited from associating with other felons," he tweeted.
While Trump has been convicted by a jury on 34 class E felony counts, he won't be sentenced until September 18. At that point, assuming the former president isn't ordered to serve time behind bars (Judge Juan Merchan has the ability to sentence him to as much as 20 years in prison), he will then be issued a probation officer, who he will be required to check in with on a regular basis. This means the September 5 event will be legal, though it likely won't help his case when he appears before Merchan less than two weeks later.
READ MORE: 'Breached his terms of release': How Trump may violate law by 'running his mouth' at RNC
The former president narrowly dodged the ire of prosecutors at last month's Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade pointed out that some of the convention's attendees included indicted "fake electors," and that Trump seen associating with them may have resulted in Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith and/or Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis petitioning the court to incarcerate Trump prior to his trial for consorting with criminal defendants.
One staple of Trump's campaign speeches is that the January 6 participants who ransacked the capitol did nothing wrong, and that he would pardon a bulk of them shortly after becoming president if elected to a second term. NJ.com reports that approximately 1,230 people have been charged in connection with the insurrection, with 730 of those pleading guilty and roughly 170 more being convicted in trial by either a judge or a jury. Only two defendants have been cleared of all charges.
READ MORE: Trump fanning flames of Jan. 6 could be 'a real problem' for Republicans in 2024: analysis
Click here to read NJ.com's report, and click here to read MeidasTouch's article on the event.