CNN
—
Donald Trump on Friday in the New York hush-money case, after a symbolic, historic and unprecedented hearing in the wake of the first felony conviction for a former and soon-to-be sitting president. He was sentenced to no punishment.
Judge Juan Melchán spoke with President Trump for several minutes and said that special legal protections are given to the president’s office, which requires him to pass a sentence of unconditional release without any penalty, and that residents are not I told the next president that there was no such thing.
Trump chose to speak before Marchand was sentenced, showing complete remorse and echoing the “political witch hunt” he has claimed since he was first indicted more than 20 months ago. The attack began.
Trump was found guilty in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records. Trump has vowed to continue fighting the conviction in the appeals court, but Friday’s ruling cemented the fact that Trump will become the first convicted felon to become president in 10 days.
Here’s what we learned from the hearing:
Marchand has already indicated that Trump will not face any punishment, let alone prison time. That’s what the U.S. Supreme Court pointed out Thursday night when it ruled 5-4 to allow the hearing to proceed, over President Trump’s objections.
But that doesn’t make Friday’s ruling any less important or embarrassing for President Trump, who was allowed to appear in court virtually from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Speaking virtually during Friday’s sentencing, Trump’s tone was perhaps more subdued, but he still spent several minutes berating everyone involved in the case, including prosecutors, the judge and Michael Cohen. He claimed he had been treated unfairly.
Hear Judge Marchan tell Trump: ‘The factor that overrides everything else’
“This is a very bad experience,” Trump said at one point.
President Trump concluded his speech by noting that voters returned him to office, emphasizing the fact that he won all seven battleground states and the popular vote.
The president-elect said voters “understood it because they watched your trial,” hinting that the case helped him return to the White House.
Marchan did not criticize Trump’s actions in sentencing him, but instead focused on the judge’s difficult task of sentencing and the legal reasons why Trump did not impose any punishment in the case. Ta.
Machan noted that the circumstances surrounding the case were unusual, but said once the courtroom doors closed, it proceeded like any other trial in New York’s court system.
Marchand also clarified that the ruling in the hush-money case was made by the presidential administration, not by Trump himself.
“What is exceptional is the legal protection afforded to the Oval Office of the President of the United States, not its occupant,” the judge said.
The seven-week trial last year took place without any audio or video recording allowed, but Marchand agreed to allow the release of an audio recording of Friday’s hearing, allowing the public to watch the proceedings. Mr. Machan could be heard listening to the careful tone in which he handed down his sentence. first time.
“The considerable, indeed extraordinary, legal protection afforded by the CEO position is a factor that trumps all others,” Marchan said.
The judge said these protections “are legal obligations and, subject to the rule of law, this court must respect and comply with them.”
Prosecutors agreed with Marchand’s decision to sentence Trump to unconditional release, but Assistant District Attorney Josh Steinglass accused Trump of undermining the rule of law with his actions before and after the May jury verdict. .
Steinglass noted that a probation officer who met with Trump to prepare a probation report prior to sentencing wrote that Trump “believes he is above the law.”
Steinglass added that Trump “rather than express any remorse for his criminal conduct, he encouraged others to reject the jury’s verdict.”
“This defendant has caused lasting damage to the public’s perception of the criminal justice system,” Steinglass said.
Kara Scannell talks about what she noticed in court during President Trump’s sentencing
A sentence of unconditional release would cement the president-elect’s status as a convicted felon, but President Trump is now free to do so without any threat of punishment, fines, or probation. walking away from the incident.
The ruling effectively serves as a final procedural ruling, allowing Trump and his lawyers to pursue an appeal.
They argue that a Supreme Court ruling last summer granting broad presidential immunity means the case should be thrown out. Although the hush money payments at issue were made in 2016, before Trump took office, some of the evidence used against him dates back to when Trump was in office, particularly his discussions with witness Hope Hicks. It was inside.
“The jury’s verdict in this case is unanimous and conclusive and must be respected,” Steinglass said.
Marchan mentioned legal protections for the presidency, but said there was a big caveat.
“One of the powers they don’t provide is the power to erase a jury verdict,” Marchan said.
How Americans would have reacted and voted if Trump had been convicted will always be a speculative question.
Trump was originally scheduled to be sentenced on July 11, but that date was repeatedly postponed following Supreme Court decisions granting the president blanket immunity.
In the end, the ruling was delayed until after the election, and Trump’s victory wiped out any real threat of legal punishment in both the hush money case and the federal indictment.
Mr. Marchand did not have to face prison time, but legal experts debated whether the low-level felonies for which Mr. Trump was convicted merited a prison term. But the judge would have had that option, since the felony carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison. . He could have been given a lighter punishment, such as home confinement or community service.
One can only speculate about what Marchand would have done if President Trump had been sentenced in July, or if Friday’s hearing had taken place after the defeat of Trump’s candidacy. It may be forgotten in history. Marchan did not twist his hand Friday as he spoke to Trump and handed down the sentence.
The president-elect will not be punished in the hush-money scandal, but he has made it clear that he wants the conviction thrown out.
“Frankly, I’m going to appeal the case anyway psychologically because this is a disgrace. The judge shouldn’t have been involved in this case,” President Trump said Thursday night at Mar-a-Lago.
During Trump’s term in office, Trump’s lawyers are expected to exhaust every legal avenue to challenge the conviction, a process that is expected to take several years. Mr. Marchand’s final sentencing decision effectively allows Mr. Trump’s lawyers to appeal to a state appellate court.
However, President Trump’s top defense attorney is scheduled to join the administration. Todd Blanche, who was sitting next to President Trump on Friday, was nominated as deputy attorney general. Emile Bove, who represented Trump in a Manhattan courtroom, was chosen as chief deputy attorney general.
If a lower appellate court upholds the jury’s verdict, Trump could ask the Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court, to consider his case. If his appeal in New York fails, he could take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, but he is expected to pursue this step if all other efforts fail.
“Your Excellency, I wish you God speed for a second term,” Marchan said Friday, nodding to Trump’s future responsibilities just 10 days after completing his role in Trump’s trial.
This story has been updated with additional details.
