New York State Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan has issued an indefinite delay in the sentencing of Donald Trump, who was found guilty in a criminal trial and convicted on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to influence the outcome of the 2016 election, in the so-called "hush money" case. In response, incoming Trump White House communications director Steven Cheung issued a statement whitewashing Trump's record.
Trump's attorneys have asked for the case to be dismissed, or for the judge to overturn the verdict, ABC News reports, adding: "If Judge Merchan tosses the conviction, he could order a new trial -- which would be delayed for at least four years until Trump leaves office -- or dismiss the indictment altogether."
In that same order, Judge Merchan also allowed Trump's legal team to submit a motion to dismiss, as Law.com reports.
Merchan did not schedule a new sentencing date.
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Professor of Law and former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance observed: "Sad day for the rule of law."
"Understand that the Judge hasn't ruled yet & the DA maintains the conviction is proper. But the delay in sentencing is just another chink in the armor of justice," she noted.
U.S. Senator-elect Adam Schiff (D-CA), posting the judge's order, remarked, "If anyone ever wanted to see what “justice delayed is justice denied” looks like in legal form, this is it."
Meanwhile, Trump communications director Steven Cheung made several controversial claims in a statement reported by The Guardian's Hugo Lowell: "In a decisive win for President Trump, the hoax Manhattan Case is now fully stayed and sentencing is adjourned. President Trump won a landslide victory as the American People have issued a mandate to return him to office and dispose of all remnants of the Witch Hunt cases. All of the sham lawfare attacks against President Trump are now destroyed and we are focused on Making America Great Again."
The case was not a "hoax." A grand jury indicted Trump and a New York jury convicted him on all counts.
Sentencing is not "adjourned," but delayed.
Trump did not win in a "landslide victory," nor does he have a "mandate," political pundits and experts say.
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Earlier this week MSNBC's Chris Hayes wrote, "The final 2024 election tally is almost in. It should end the MAGA mandate myth."
Trump won less than 50% of the popular vote, meaning he did not win a majority. His popular vote margin, according to Cook Political Report's vote tracker, is now at a slim 1.62 percentage points, or just less than 2.5 million votes. Some states are still counting, including California which has over 350,000 ballots left to count.
Four days ago, CNN's Harry Enten reported Trump's popular vote victory ranks him near the bottom: 44th out of 51.
The legal cases are not all destroyed. The Georgia case has not been dismissed. The New York case that Cheung mentions is not finished. Even the classified documents case that was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is being appealed, at least for now.
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