A “deeply conflicted” judge in New York, Juan Merchan, says he wants to sentence President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 10 in his case over apparent misdemeanor business records infractions that suddenly were felonies because an anti-Trump prosecutor claimed they were in pursuit of another, unidentified, crime.
The announcement Friday comes from Merchan in the case in which a leftist jury in Manhattan convicted Trump on 34 of those records violations.
The legacy media has styled the case the “hush money” case essentially because Trump’s organization labeled his payments to his then-lawyer as legal fees when some of the money went to a woman to keep quiet about an alleged affair, which both alleged participants have denied happened.
Trump communications director Steven Cheung didn’t waste time responding: “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. 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.”
There are legal motions that can be filed that could stymie Merchan’s agenda.
The Article III Project, which advocates for the judiciary, similarly responded, revealing some of the conflicts that face Merchan’s plans.
“Democrat Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan—who donated to Trump’s opponents and whose adult daughter Loren is raising money off of this bogus case—once again proves he is partisan, corrupt, and dangerous. The Supreme Court must end this immediately,” said Mike Davis, who helped win Senate confirmation battles for Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
ABC reported the case sentence will include an “unconditional discharge.”
The report said Merchan claimed such a ruling is the “most viable solution to ensure finality and allow Defendant to pursue his appellate options.”
Merchan, who analysts have suggested is thumbing his nose at the Supreme Court’s recent immunity ruling regarding the Trump cases, assumed the pulpit to lecture Trump over his “disdain for the third branch of government.”
He accused Trump of going to “great lengths to broadcast on social media and other forums his lack of respect for judges, juries, grand juries and the justice system as a whole.”
That “disdain” from Trump followed a years-long series of lawfare cases assembled by Democrats who appeared to be trying to jail him to keep him from running for the White House again.
For example, multiple charges were filed over the government documents Trump held after he left the presidency. However, federal prosecutors found Joe Biden liable for the same offense, but gave him a free pass for his actions. One jurisdiction even claimed an “organized crime” conspiracy involved Trump.
Merchan’s scheme to give Trump a “discharge” would mean there’s no penalty, but the conviction would remain on Trump’s record.
The conviction already is facing an appeal, with constitutional experts aligned in the opinion that the case ultimately will be thrown out.
WND previously has reported when Merchan insisted on keeping his case going, when other lawfare attacks were being dismissed, Trump wrote, “In a completely illegal, psychotic order, the deeply conflicted, corrupt, biased, and incompetent Acting Justice Juan Merchan has completely disrespected the United States Supreme Court, and its Historic Decision on Immunity. But even without Immunity, this illegitimate case is nothing but a Rigged Hoax. Merchan, who is a radical partisan, wrote an opinion that is knowingly unlawful, goes against our Constitution, and, if allowed to stand, would be the end of the Presidency as we know it. Merchan has so little respect for the Constitution that he is keeping in place an illegal gag order on me, your President and President-Elect, just so I cannot expose his and his family’s disqualifying and illegal conflicts….”
The case had shaky origins to start. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg brought business recording situations, which would have been misdemeanors had they been filed before the statute of limitations expired, to court, claiming they were felonies because they were in pursuit of another, unidentified crime.
Then Merchan allowed the salacious testimony of a former porn star in his courtroom and the leftist jury in leftist Manhattan returned guilty verdicts to 34 counts.
Trump continued, “….I am the only Political Opponent in American History not allowed to defend myself – A despicable First Amendment Violation! Merchan took the Manhattan D.A.’s Witch Hunt, that, according to all Legal Scholars, including Jonathan Turley, Elie Honig, Andy McCarthy, Alan Dershowitz, Gregg Jarrett, David Rivkin, Elizabeth Price Foley, Katie and Andy Cherkasky, Paul Ingrassia, and many others, is a nonexistent case, barred by the Statute of Limitations, and should have never been brought and, through his fraud and misconduct, gave it a semblance of ‘life.’ While Deranged Jack Smith was sent packing back to The Hague after losing all of his politically manufactured cases against me, Merchan, who is far worse and even more corrupt than Smith in his fight for my hopeless political opponents, just cannot let go of this charade. Is it because of his conflicts and relations that he keeps breaking the Law? This has to stop! It is time to end the Lawfare once and for all, so we can come together as one Nation and, Make America Great Again.”
Trump’s lawyers, citing Joe Biden’s recent complaints about unfair prosecutions, had insisted Merchan, who inexplicably had told the jury their verdict did not have to be unanimous, dismiss the case entirely.
Trump’s lawyers had told Merchan, “President Donald J. Trump respectfully submits this motion to dismiss the Indictment and vacate the jury’s verdicts… The Presidential immunity doctrine, the Presidential Transition Act, and the Supremacy Clause all require that result, and they require it immediately.”
Experts have noted the trial itself was “replete with layers of reversible error.”
…He still has to rule on the general challenge over errors committed at trial. Some of us view the case as replete with layers of reversible error. https://t.co/o4ZJdNwfb7 However, Merchan was never viewed as likely to second guess his prior rulings…
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) December 17, 2024
