US President-elect Donald Trump will be sentenced on January 10 for his hush-money case, a New York judge ruled Friday. Judge Juan M Merchan indicated Trump would likely receive an unconditional discharge, meaning no jail time, fine, or probation.
The sentencing date comes shortly before Trump’s planned return to the White House on January 20. Trump can attend the sentencing virtually.
The judge rejected Trump’s arguments for dismissal based on presidential immunity and his upcoming second term. Merchan said concluding the case served the interests of justice, balancing Trump’s ability to govern with the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity, public expectations of equal application of the law, and respect for the jury’s verdict. “This court is simply not persuaded that the first factor outweighs the others at this stage of the proceeding,” Merchan wrote.
Trump’s lawyers argued the case would disrupt his presidency, while prosecutors suggested options like freezing the case or a guaranteed no-jail sentence. The judge ruled Trump’s status as president-elect doesn’t grant him the same immunity as a sitting president, and dismissing the case would undermine the rule of law.
Trump faces a maximum potential sentence of four years in prison, though that outcome is unlikely given the judge’s indication. The sentencing was initially scheduled for July but has been postponed twice.
‘Trump will continue fighting against these hoaxes’
Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, said that the order issued by Acting Justice Merchan in the Manhattan DA’s case, which he described as a “witch hunt,” was a direct violation of the Supreme Court’s immunity decision and other longstanding jurisprudence. He added that the case should be dismissed.
“Today’s order by the deeply conflicted, Acting Justice Merchan in the Manhattan DA Witch Hunt is a direct violation of the Supreme Court’s Immunity decision and other longstanding jurisprudence. This lawless case should have never been brought and the Constitution demands that it be immediately dismissed,” Cheung said in his statement on social media platform X.
Cheung stressed that Trump must be allowed to continue the presidential transition process and that there should be no sentencing.
“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. There should be no sentencing, and President Trump will continue fighting against these hoaxes until they are all dead,” Cheung added.
The hush-money case
Trump was convicted in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a hush-money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump denies Daniels’ allegations and maintains his innocence.
This conviction makes Trump the first former president convicted of a crime and the first convicted individual elected president.
The case revolves around how Trump reimbursed his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, for the payment to Daniels. Cohen called the judge’s decision “judicious and appropriate.”
Trump’s legal team previously attempted to overturn the conviction based on a Supreme Court immunity decision and sought to move the case to federal court, but both efforts were unsuccessful.
Trump’s other federal cases
This case is the only one of Trump’s four criminal indictments to reach trial. Two federal cases, one related to the 2020 election and the other to classified documents, have been dismissed by special counsel Jack Smith. A state election interference case in Georgia is currently on hold. Trump’s lawyers argued the dismissal of the federal cases warranted dismissal of the New York hush-money case, but Judge Merchan disagreed, saying that the hush-money case was in a “vastly” different stage.
#Donald #Trumps #hush #money #case #sentencing #set #January #Times #India
