new york:
On Friday, the New York judge handling President-elect Donald Trump’s hush-money case said he would not serve any prison time, setting a 10-day sentencing period before Inauguration Day on January 20. Judge Juan Marchan said Trump, the first former president to be convicted of a crime, could appear in person or virtually at his sentencing on January 10.
In his 18-page decision, Marchan upheld the New York jury’s conviction of Trump and rejected various motions from Trump’s lawyers to overturn the verdict. The judge said he was leaning toward unconditional release rather than jail, meaning no conditions would be imposed on the real estate mogul.
Nevertheless, the ruling means Trump will enter the White House as a convicted felon.
Mr. Trump, 78, could face up to four years in prison, but legal experts say Mr. Marchand had been keeping the former president in prison since before Mr. Trump won the presidential election in November. I didn’t expect to send it.
The judge said, “At this point, it seems appropriate to make clear the court’s intention not to impose any prison sentence,” and prosecutors did not believe that a prison sentence was a “realistic recommendation.” he pointed out.
President Trump, who plans to file an appeal that could delay the ruling, condemned the decision late Friday.
“This unwarranted political attack is nothing more than a display of dishonesty,” he wrote on his platform Truth Social.
Trump called Marchand a “radical partisan” and said the order “is illegal, knowingly violates the Constitution and, if passed, will end the presidency as we know it.” he added.
In May, Trump was in New York on the eve of the 2016 election to cover up hush money he paid to porn star Stormy Daniels to prevent her from disclosing allegations that they had a sexual relationship in 2006. , was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Trump’s lawyers sought to dismiss the case on multiple grounds, including last year’s landmark Supreme Court ruling granting the former US president complete immunity from prosecution for various official acts he committed while in office. was.
Marchand rejected that claim, but noted that Trump would be immune from prosecution if he became president.
“We find no legal impediments to sentencing and, recognizing that presidential immunity is likely to be granted once the defendant takes the oath of office, it is our intention to move this case forward for sentencing by January 20, 2025.” “It is the duty of this court,” the judge said.
“Witch hunt”
Trump’s press secretary, Stephen Chan, denounced Marchan’s decision to sentence the former president as a “direct violation of the Supreme Court’s immunity decision and other longstanding legal precedent.”
“This lawless lawsuit should never have been filed and the Constitution requires its immediate dismissal,” Chong said in a statement.
“President Trump must be allowed to continue the presidential transition process and carry out the important duties of his presidency, unencumbered by the remnants and remnants of the witch hunt,” he said.
“There should be no sentencing. President Trump will continue to fight until all disinformation is dead,” Chan added.
President Trump also faced two federal lawsuits brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith, both of which were dropped due to the Justice Department’s longstanding policy of not prosecuting sitting presidents.
In those cases, Trump was accused of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election that he lost to Joe Biden and of smuggling large amounts of classified documents after leaving the White House.
Trump also faces racketeering charges in Georgia for allegedly trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the southern state, but that case could be frozen while he remains in the White House. expensive.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
