On Monday, attorneys for President-elect Donald Trump requested that a judge postpone this week’s sentencing in his “hush money” case. However, the judge rejected their request.
In their appeal, Trump’s legal team, consisting of Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, urged Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan to delay Friday’s sentencing while they pursue an appeal to a state appellate court, aiming to overturn the conviction on 34 felony charges related to a hidden payment.
The defense lawyers contended in a court filing that their planned appeal to the state’s appellate division should trigger an automatic stay, or pause, in the sentencing process. Despite this, Merchan refused to grant the delay later on Monday.
Previously, the judge had scheduled Trump’s sentencing for January 10, just 10 days ahead of Inauguration Day. He had dismissed Trump’s argument to overturn the verdict on the grounds of “presidential immunity.”
In his decision, Merchan proposed that the most appropriate resolution would be to grant Trump what’s referred to as an unconditional discharge, which would avoid jail time, fines, or probation, before he returns to the White House.
Merchan explained on January 3 that “Only by bringing finality to this matter” would justice be served.
The judge also provided Trump with the option of attending the sentencing in person at Manhattan Supreme Court on Friday or participating remotely via video, acknowledging the heavy responsibilities involved in preparing for his second term.
Prosecutors disclosed on Monday that they expect Trump to attend the sentencing remotely rather than in person.
Trump will be afforded the opportunity to make a statement during the sentencing. Afterward, his legal team can appeal the ruling, a step they have already indicated they will take.
This situation means that when Trump takes office on January 20, at the age of 78, he will officially hold the status of a convicted felon.
Trump was convicted in May by a Manhattan jury of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment made by his former attorney, Michael Cohen.
Trump’s lawyers plan to challenge Merchan’s ruling that upheld the conviction, as well as the judge’s rejection of Trump’s claim that his trial had been “tainted” by evidence related to his first term in office—evidence they argued fell within the scope of “presidential immunity,” as defined by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Prosecutors maintained that the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in July 2024 should not apply in this instance, arguing that concealing a payoff to a porn star from the White House was not part of a president’s “official acts.”
Trump, who is affiliated with the Republican Party, has described the case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, as a “politically motivated” effort to sabotage his campaign.
In a statement released on Monday, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said, “Today, President Trump’s legal team moved to stop the unlawful sentencing in the Manhattan D.A.’s Witch Hunt.”
Cheung further argued, “The Supreme Court’s historic decision on Immunity, the state constitution of New York, and other established legal precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be immediately dismissed.”
The judge’s decision on Monday afternoon followed a filing from Bragg’s office, which argued that Trump would not be harmed by the sentencing on Friday, citing Merchan’s plan to impose the lightest possible sentence.
{Matzav.com}