DemonRats Trying To Humiliate Trump Days Before Inauguration... Trump to be sentenced in hush money case one week before taking office

 

In an extraordinary decision, a judge set US President-elect Donald Trump’s sentencing in his hush money criminal case for January 10, just over a week before his scheduled return to the White House but made clear that Trump would not face jail time, The Associated Press reported.

The decision which was handed down on Friday, positions Trump to become the first president to assume office while holding a felony conviction.

Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan, who oversaw Trump’s trial, announced in a written ruling that the former and future president would receive an unconditional discharge. This outcome leaves the conviction intact but closes the case without imposing jail time, fines, or probation. Trump has the option to appear virtually for the sentencing.

Merchan rejected Trump’s motion to dismiss the verdict on the grounds of presidential immunity and his upcoming second term. He emphasized that resolving the case was essential to serving the interests of justice.

Trump criticized Merchan on his Truth Social platform, claiming that allowing the ruling to stand would mean “the end of the Presidency as we know it.” He also reiterated his stance that the case was an “illegitimate political attack” and “nothing but a Rigged Charade” orchestrated by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office declined to comment on the ruling.

Trump was convicted in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records tied to an alleged scheme to conceal a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the final weeks of his 2016 campaign.

Initially, Trump’s sentencing was scheduled for July 11 but was postponed twice at his defense’s request. Following Trump’s victory in the November 5 election, the judge delayed the sentencing once more to allow both sides to address the implications of Trump’s presidency on the case.

Trump’s lawyers urged Merchan to dismiss the conviction, arguing that it would otherwise disrupt the president-elect’s ability to govern effectively. Prosecutors conceded that accommodations should be made for Trump’s upcoming term but insisted the conviction remain. They proposed several options, including pausing the case during his presidency or finalizing it with a no-jail sentence.

Ultimately, Merchan determined that Trump’s status as president-elect does not grant him immunity equivalent to that of a sitting president. Setting aside the verdict, he argued, would be a “drastic” measure that would “undermine the Rule of Law in immeasurable ways.”

This case is the only one of Trump’s four criminal indictments to go to trial.

Special counsel Jack Smith has since dismissed two federal cases against Trump: one concerning his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and another alleging he mishandled classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.