The New York judge overseeing President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money case has scheduled his sentencing for January 10, just 10 days before his inauguration.
Judge Juan Merchan indicated he was unlikely to impose jail time, suggesting instead an unconditional discharge, meaning Trump would face no further conditions. This would make him the first former president to enter the White House as a convicted felon.
Trump, who was convicted in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election, faces a maximum sentence of up to four years in prison. However, legal experts had predicted that Merchan would likely avoid jail time, even before Trump won the November election.
In an 18-page decision, Merchan upheld Trump’s conviction and rejected multiple motions from Trump’s defense team to have the case dismissed. Trump’s attorneys had argued for immunity based on a Supreme Court ruling that former presidents are immune from prosecution for certain actions performed while in office, but Merchan dismissed this claim, noting that Trump would gain such immunity only once sworn in as president.
The judge emphasized that he aimed to impose a sentence before Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025, due to the likelihood of presidential immunity coming into effect afterward.
Trump, who is expected to appeal the ruling, denounced the decision on his Truth Social platform, calling it a “Rigged Charade” and accusing Merchan of being a “radical partisan.” His spokesperson, Steven Cheung, also criticized the decision, claiming it violated the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling and urged the case be dismissed entirely.
Despite these challenges, Trump continues to face multiple legal battles, including two federal cases over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and a racketeering case in Georgia. However, these cases are likely to be delayed or frozen while Trump holds office.
AFP
