George W. Bush's deputy chief of staff Karl Rove said Friday that Donald Trump’s chances of winning the presidency may have been hurt by the decision to push back sentencing for his criminal conviction.
Judge Juan Merchan on Friday ruled that the Sept. 18 sentencing for falsifying business records would be pushed back until Nov. 26 — after the presidential election.
Rove, appearing on Fox News, argued that was bad news for the GOP candidate.
“I think that even the judge figured out that it would be enormously disruptive to the country and reflect badly on the judiciary if he attempted to insert himself into the middle of the final stages of a presidential campaign,” Rove said.
But he added, “If he [Merchan] had gone forward with this, it would have, ironically enough, served the interest of Donald Trump."
ALSO READ: Why Trump’s Arlington controversy is actually a crime
Rove pointed out that Trump got more popular in polls as he went through his indictments and court appearances.
“And if the judge had gone ahead with this, it could have easily been the October surprise,” he said.
“That is to say, [Merchan] would have potentially gone after Donald Trump in his verdict and the reaction of the American people might have been wholly negative on it and helped advance the cause of Donald Trump in the election."
