Trump celebrates ‘decisive win’ as hush money sentencing is canceled & judge sets deadline for dismissing case entirely
DONALD Trump’s sentencing in his hush-money case has been canceled indefinitely, removing a major legal hurdle for the president-elect.
A New York judge confirmed that Trump’s sentencing in his criminal case in the state will no longer go forward as planned next week.
Sentencing was originally scheduled for Tuesday, November 26, but has now been delayed indefinitely, with no new potential sentencing date in the calendar.
Judge Juan Merchan announced the adjournment in a letter on Friday morning.
In May, Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a hush-money deal his former fixer made with adult movie actress Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair ahead of the 2016 election.
Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations.
The halting of Trump’s sentencing gives his legal team time to prepare their case that his election victory means his felony convictions should be thrown out completely.
Trump’s team must submit their additional papers by December 2.
His spokesperson Steven Cheung called the sentencing delay a “decisive win.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, had opposed the request and had called for Judge Merchan instead to freeze the proceedings during Trump’s second term.
That would have meant sentencing wouldn’t occur until 2029 at the earliest.
“We have significant competing constitutional interests – the office of the presidency and all the complications that come with that, and on the other hand, the sanctity of the jury verdict,” Bragg said on Wednesday while speaking to New York civic group the Citizens Crime Commission.
Prosecutors have been given until December 9 to respond.
On Wednesday, Trump’s lawyers urged the judge to ignore Bragg’s filing on Tuesday and scrap the case before the president-elect takes office in January.
Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who are representing the Republican politician, said the decision of the American people to return Trump to office should take precedence over the opinion of prosecutors.
They argued that any protracted appeals would overlap with Trump’s second term in the White House.
TRUMP HUSH MONEY STATEMENT
IN the wake of a judge delaying indefinitely Donald Trump's sentencing in his hush money case in New York, his communications director Steven Cheung issued a statement:
“In a decisive win for President Trump, the hoax Manhattan Case is now fully stayed and sentencing is adjourned.
“President Trump won a landslide victory as the American People have issued a mandate to return him to office and dispose of all remnants of the Witch Hunt cases.
“All of the sham lawfare attacks against President Trump are now destroyed and we are focused on Making America Great Again.”
STORM BREWING
The New York hush money case stemmed from a $130,000 payment made by Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
She had claimed that Trump and she had a sexual encounter in the 2000s, something he denies.
The money was to pay for Daniels’ silence ahead of the 2016 election.
A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business records to cover up his reimbursement of Cohen.
In May, Trump became the first US president – former or sitting – to be charged or convicted of a criminal offense.
Trump pleaded not guilty and portrayed Bragg’s actions as a politically motivated witch hunt, targeted to interfere with his 2024 presidential campaign.
If sentenced, Trump could have faced up to four years in prison for falsification of business records.
However, before the election, experts said that it was unlikely Trump would be jailed, with a fine or probation a more likely punishment.
Trump’s victory in November’s election over Kamala Harris made the prospect of prison or probation even trickier, as it could impede his ability to carry out the president’s duties.
LEGAL WOES
The president-elect was charged in three additional state and federal cases in 2023.
One involved classified documents he kept after leaving office, while two others centered around his attempts to overturn the 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.
Trump pleaded not guilty in all three cases.
In July, a Florida-based federal judge dismissed the documents case.
The Justice Department is now looking at how to wind down the federal election-related cases.
A further state criminal charge in Georgia over his bid to reverse his loss in the swing state remains in limbo.
As president, Trump would have no power to shut down the New York or Georgia cases because they were filed in state courts, although his Justice Department may close the federal cases.