Former GOP US attorney general says if Trump is found guilty in Jan 6 case, should 'serve time'

Former U.S. Attorney General under President George W. Bush, Alberto Gonzales, said that if Trump is found guilty in the January 6 case, he should serve time. 

"If in fact he’s convicted of the crimes charged by Jack Smith and the Department of Justice, yeah, I think he should serve time, quite frankly," he said during a Friday interview on MSNBC, which is set to air on former White House spokesperson Jen Psaki's show Sunday.

"There are people that on Jan. 6, went to the Capitol — maybe not at the clear direction of President Trump — but certainly, he did nothing to stop what happened that day," he continued. "They're serving time."

The 45th president was indicted as part of special counsel Jack Smith's federal grand jury probe into his efforts to challenge the 2020 election results and the former president's role in the subsequent Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Trump was charged with four counts, including conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of, and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.

If convicted, Trump could face a maximum of 20 years in prison. He has pleaded not guilty. 

Gonzales did caution that "we're a long way from there" in terms of the possibility of Trump serving jail time.