A New York judge has scheduled the sentencing of Donald Trump in his hush-money case for January 10th, just days before his second inauguration as president.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Judge Juan Merchan denied Trump’s attempt to dismiss the case following his presidential election victory, but signaled that Trump will likely receive an unconditional discharge, meaning he will face no legal penalties for his conviction.
Trump had attempted to use his presidential election victory to have the case against him dismissed.
His team criticised the judge’s decision to go forward with sentencing and said the “lawless” case should be dismissed “immediately”.
In May of last year, Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in relation to a $130,000 payment made to adult-film star Stormy Daniels.
The charges were connected to efforts to conceal reimbursements to Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who paid off Daniels in the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign to keep quiet about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump.
Despite his conviction, Trump has maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty. He has also claimed that the case is an attempt to damage his 2024 presidential campaign.
On Friday, Trump’s spokesperson criticised Judge Merchan’s sentencing order, saying it was part of a “witch hunt”.
“President Trump must be allowed to continue the presidential transition process and to execute the vital duties of the presidency, unobstructed by the remains of this or any remnants of the witch hunts,” Steven Cheung said.
“There should be no sentencing, and President Trump will continue fighting against these hoaxes until they are all dead.”
Trump had previously tried to have the case dismissed, arguing that it would distract from his presidential duties and hinder his ability to govern. He had also initially argued that the case violated a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity.
In response to Trump’s concerns, Justice Merchan stated that he had been made aware of several options that could address Trump’s worries without resorting to the extreme measure of overturning the jury’s verdict.
These options included delaying the sentencing until the end of Trump’s term in 2029, or guaranteeing a sentence that would not involve prison time.
Trump had initially, and unsuccessfully, argued the case against him ran afoul of a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity.
The Supreme Court’s ruling in July established that presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution for actions taken within the scope of their official duties.
Despite this ruling, Justice Merchan determined in November that Trump’s conviction for falsifying business records in the hush money case was valid.
This means that Trump, who is set to begin his second term as president in January, will become the first convicted felon to hold the office.
While he has the option to appeal the conviction after sentencing, legal experts believe it is unlikely that he will face jail time, given his age and lack of a prior criminal record.
Trump has also been charged in three other state and federal criminal cases: one involving classified documents and two relating to his alleged efforts to overturn his loss in the election of 2020.
The president-elect was initially scheduled to be sentenced on 26 November, but Justice Merchan pushed the date back after Trump won the presidential election.
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