Judge delays Donald Trump’s hush money sentencing indefinitely

Key Points

A judge has ruled that Donald Trump can seek dismissal of the criminal case in which he was found guilty in May.
Trump was found guilty of 34 felonies related to paying hush money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
Trump was scheduled to be sentenced next Tuesday.

Donald Trump may seek dismissal of the criminal case in which he was found guilty in May of 34 charges related to paying a porn star hush money, a judge has ruled, and also delay Trump’s sentencing indefinitely in light of his victory in the US presidential election. . .

The verdict was scheduled to be announced next Tuesday.

Prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office this week asked New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan to consider delaying all proceedings in the case until Trump completes his four-year presidential term, which begins Jan. 20.

Trump’s lawyers argue the case should be thrown out because allowing it to hang over him while he is president would create an “unconstitutional impediment” to his ability to govern the country.

Bragg’s office said it would oppose the dismissal but agreed Trump deserved time to make his case through written motions.

On Friday, Merchan gave Trump a Dec. 2 deadline to file a motion to dismiss and gave prosecutors until Dec. 9 to respond.

Donald Trump was found guilty on all charges

The judge did not set a new sentencing date or indicate how long proceedings would be stayed. The judge also did not say when he would rule on Trump’s motion to dismiss.

Payment for Stormy Daniels

The case stems from former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s US$130,000 ($200,000) payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels for her silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she said she had ten years earlier with Trump, who denies it. .

A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business records to hide reimbursements to Cohen. This was the first time a US president – former or current – was convicted or charged with a criminal offense.

Trump has pleaded not guilty in the case, which he has sought to portray as a politically motivated attempt by Bragg, a Democrat, to interfere with his presidential campaign.

“The American people have issued a mandate to return him to office and get rid of all vestiges of the witch hunt,” Trump campaign spokesman Stephen Chung said in a statement.

A spokesman for Bragg’s office declined to comment.

A stack of headlines from various newspapers reporting Trump's conviction in the hush money case.

A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business records to conceal damages to his former lawyer Michael Cohen. Source: AARP / Richard B. Levin/Levine-Roberts/Sipa USA

Falsifying business records is punishable by up to four years in prison. Before Trump was elected, experts said it was unlikely (but not impossible) to end up behind bars, with penalties such as a fine or probation considered more likely.

Trump’s victory over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 election made the prospect of a prison or probation sentence even more politically fraught and impractical, given that a conviction could prevent him from carrying out the duties of the presidency.

Trump criminal cases

Trump was indicted in three more state and federal cases in 2023: one related to secret documents he kept after leaving office, and two others related to his efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat. He pleaded not guilty in all three cases.

In July, a Florida federal judge dismissed the records case. The Justice Department is now evaluating how to wind down the federal election case.

Trump also faces criminal charges in Georgia for his attempt to overturn his 2020 loss in that state, but that case remains in limbo.

As president, Trump would not have the power to dismiss the New York or Georgia cases because they were filed in state courts. His Justice Department could dismiss federal cases.

Last week, Trump appointed his lawyers in the money-for-secrecy case, Todd Blanche and Emile Beauvais, to senior positions at the Justice Department during his administration.