The US President-elect was ordered to appear in court ten days before his inauguration
The Manhattan judge who presided over former and future President Donald Trump’s hush money trial has denied the motion to dismiss the case and set the sentencing date for January 10, just ten days before his inauguration for a second term.
Judge Juan Merchan stated in his ruling on Friday that Trump can appear in person or virtually for the sentencing and indicated that the President-elect will receive an unconditional discharge, avoiding jail time.
“Finding no legal impediment to sentencing and recognizing that presidential immunity will likely attach once the defendant takes his Oath of Office, it is incumbent upon this Court to schedule the imposition of sentence prior to January 20, 2025. It is this Court's firm belief that only by bringing finality to this matter will all three interests be served,” Merchan wrote.
Trump's legal team has criticized the judge's decision to proceed with sentencing, labeling the case as politically motivated. His spokesperson, Steven Cheung, stated that 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,” he added.
The hush money case revolves around payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Prosecutors allege that Trump falsified business records to conceal the payments. Trump denies the allegations and has consistently rejected claims of wrongdoing, asserting that he is the victim of prosecutorial overreach.
Trump was charged in 2023 with misreporting hush money payments, with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg successfully elevating what would normally be a misdemeanor offense to 34 felony counts, one for each mention of the payments in Trump’s records. He was found guilty on all counts in May 2024.
The defense repeatedly sought to dismiss the case, citing a US Supreme Court ruling that grants presidents broad immunity from criminal prosecution for official actions taken while in office. However, Judge Merchan ruled that this immunity does not extend to actions taken before Trump's presidency. The sentencing has been postponed multiple times, initially scheduled for July 11, 2024, then delayed to September 18, 2024, and later to November 26, 2024.
This case is one of Trump’s last remaining legal entanglements, after Special Counsel Jack Smith dropped charges in two federal cases – involving Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents and attempts to block the certification of President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win – and a Georgia judge dismissed eight out of 13 state-level election meddling charges following Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election.
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