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Judge postpones Donald Trump’s hush money sentence indefinitely

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Judge postpones Donald Trump’s hush money sentence indefinitely

Highlights
  • A judge has ruled that Donald Trump can seek dismissal of the criminal case in which he was found guilty in May.
  • Trump was found guilty of 34 felonies, including the payment of hush money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
  • Trump’s sentencing was to be given next Tuesday.
A judge may order the dismissal of Donald Trump’s criminal case in May, in which he was convicted of 34 felonies involving the payment of hush money to a porn star, while also indefinitely deferring Trump’s sentence in light of his victory in the US presidential election. .
The sentence was scheduled to be handed down next Tuesday.

Prosecutors in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office this week asked New York State Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan to consider delaying all proceedings in the case until the end of Trump’s four-year term as president, which begins Jan. 20.

Trump’s lawyers argued that the case should be dismissed because it would lead to “unconstitutional impediments” to his ability to govern while he is president.
Bragg’s office said it would oppose impeachment but agreed that Trump deserved time to make his case through written motions.

On Friday, Merchan set a Dec. 2 deadline for Trump to file his impeachment request and gave prosecutors until Dec. 9 to respond.

Donald Trump found guilty of all impeachment images

The judge did not set a new date for sentencing or specify how long the trial would remain pending. The judge also did not say when he would rule on Trump’s motion to dismiss.

Stormy Daniels payment

The case stemmed from a US$130,000 ($200,000) payment by Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen to adult film actress Stormy Daniels for her silence about a sexual relationship she said she had with Trump a decade ago, ahead of the 2016 election; but he refuses this payment. .

A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business records to conceal his compensation to Cohen. This was the first time a former or sitting U.S. president was convicted or charged with a criminal offense.

Trump has pleaded not guilty in the case, which he tried to portray as a politically motivated attempt by Democrat Bragg to interfere with his presidential campaign.
“The American people have issued a mandate to reinstate him and eliminate any remaining remnants of the Witch Hunt trials,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement. he said.

A spokesman for Bragg’s office declined to comment.

A slew of different newspaper headlines announcing Trump's guilty verdict in the hush money case

A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business records to conceal a settlement he made to his former lawyer Michael Cohen. Source: AAP / Richard B. Levine/Levine-Roberts/Sipa USA

Forgery of business records is punishable by up to four years in prison. Before his election, experts said it was unlikely but not impossible that Trump would face penalties such as fines or probation.

Trump’s victory over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 election has made the prospect of a prison or probation sentence even more politically fraught and impractical, given that a sentence could impede his ability to perform the duties of the presidency.

Trump’s criminal cases

Trump was indicted in three more state and federal lawsuits in 2023, one involving classified documents he withheld after leaving office and two others involving his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. He pleaded not guilty in all three cases.

In July, a Florida-based federal judge dismissed the documents lawsuit. The Justice Department is currently evaluating how to end the federal election-related case.
Trump also faces criminal charges in the state for his attempt to overturn his 2020 loss in Georgia, but that case remains unclear.

As president, Trump would not have the authority to dismiss the New York or Georgia cases because they were filed in state courts. The Justice Department can close federal cases.

Trump last week nominated defense attorneys in the hush money case, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, to take on senior roles at the Justice Department during his administration.

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