Trump to Be Sentenced in Hush Money Case Just Days Before Inauguration
Trump to Be Sentenced in Hush Money Case Just Days Before Inauguration
NEW YORK: The President-elect of the US, Donald Trump, is set to be sentenced on Friday due to his criminal conviction related to hush money payments made to an adult film star, an issue that at one point overshadowed his efforts to reclaim the presidency.
On Thursday, the US Supreme Court allowed the sentencing to proceed at 9:30 am ET (1430 GMT) in a New York state court in Manhattan, dismissing a last-minute request from Trump to delay it just ten days before his inauguration on January 20. Justice Juan Merchan, who managed the six-week trial last year, has indicated that he is unlikely to impose a jail sentence or a fine. However, by issuing an unconditional discharge, he would mark a judgment of guilt on Trump’s permanent record. Trump, 78, who has pleaded not guilty, anticipated appearing virtually for the hearing. He fiercely contested the idea of being forced to stand before a state judge just days before returning to the public office he lost four years ago. “He’s trying to avoid a sentence because that would officially label him as a convicted felon,” stated Cheryl Bader, a law professor at Fordham University in New York. The trial occurred against the remarkable backdrop of Trump’s successful campaign to regain the presidency. The upcoming sentencing represents the conclusion of the first criminal case ever instituted against a sitting or former US president.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, representing the Democratic Party, charged Trump, a member of the Republican Party, in March 2023 with 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal the $130,000 payment made by his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The payment was intended to keep Daniels quiet before the 2016 election regarding an alleged sexual encounter with Trump, which he denied.
Trump won the election against Democrat Hillary Clinton.
On May 30, the Manhattan jury found Trump guilty on all 34 charges. Prosecutors contended that, despite the scandalous nature of the claims, the case aimed to corrupt the 2016 election.
Critics of the former businessman-turned-politician leveraged the charges and other legal troubles to argue that he was unfit to hold public office.
Trump countered by claiming that this case, along with three additional criminal indictments and various civil suits accusing him of fraud, defamation, and sexual abuse, was an attempt by opponents to weaponize the justice system against him and jeopardize his reelection efforts. He regularly attacked both the prosecutors and witnesses, leading Judge Merchan to fine Trump $10,000 for violating a gag order.
As recently as January 3, Trump referred to the judge as a “radical partisan” in a post on his Truth Social platform. In a ruling that day, Merchan stated that overturning the verdict would “undermine the Rule of Law in immeasurable ways” and noted that Trump’s conduct during the trial showed a lack of respect for the judiciary.
“Defendant has taken extensive measures to advertise on social media and other platforms, showing his disregard for judges, juries, grand juries, and the justice system overall,” Merchan remarked.
Later on Thursday, just hours before the sentencing was scheduled, Trump posted on his social media platform that he planned to appeal the case and expressed confidence in his chances of success.
A political mixed bag
The hush money case was generally perceived as less severe compared to the other three criminal cases Trump faced, in which he was accused of attempting to overturn his 2020 election defeat and keeping classified documents after leaving the White House. Trump entered a not-guilty plea in all the cases.
However, despite numerous challenges from Trump’s attorneys, Bragg’s case was the only criminal matter to proceed to trial. Following Trump’s election victory on November 5, federal prosecutors withdrew from their two cases due to the Justice Department’s policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
The other state case, initiated in Georgia concerning attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, is currently stalled after a court disqualified the lead prosecutor in December.
The hush money case had mixed political repercussions. Trump’s campaign contributions surged after his indictment in March 2023, likely helping him defeat his rivals for the Republican nomination. During the trial, polls indicated that most voters regarded the charges as serious, and his support among Republicans declined following the guilty verdict.
However, interest in the case waned quickly from public attention, particularly after President Joe Biden had a poor debate performance that led to his withdrawal, with Vice President Kamala Harris stepping in on the Democratic ticket and following an incident where a gunman narrowly missed killing Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Judge Merchan initially planned the sentencing for July 11 but postponed it several times at Trump’s insistence. In September, the judge agreed to delay the sentencing until after the election, expressing concerns about being perceived as biased.
The falsification of business records carries a potential sentence of up to four years in prison. Although it was unlikely that Trump would serve jail time due to his age and absence of a criminal record, legal experts noted that it was still possible, mainly due to his violations of the gag order. Trump’s victory and upcoming inauguration made the possibility of jail time or probation even less feasible.
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