The judge of the criminal case against Donald Trump for payments of money to silence accusations ordered this Friday postpone sentencing indefinitelya legal victory for the president-elect as he prepares to return to the White House.
Trump was found guilty in May on 34 felony charges. after a jury determined that he fraudulently manipulated business records to cover up a alleged sexual encounter with the porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 elections.
Prosecutors argued that concealing the alleged encounter was intended to help him win his first presidential campaign.
Trump, who was scheduled to be sentenced on November 26, He fought against any attempt to sentence him before assuming the presidency in January.
“Joint request for suspension of sentence grantedto the extent that the date of November 26, 2024 is postponed,” said the judge Juan Merchan in a court order.
Trump’s legal team cited a Supreme Court ruling that gives presidents a broad immunity by official acts.
That landmark ruling, issued by a Court with a 6-3 conservative majority, determined that presidents have broad immunity from prosecution for a variety of official acts committed while in office.
Before the elections, Trump’s lawyers requested that the case be dismissed in light of the Supreme Court decisiona measure that prosecutors firmly rejected.
This Friday, judge granted Trump permission to seek to overturn convictionwhich will likely involve several additional hearings that could be delayed once Trump takes office.
“Defendant’s Request to File Motion to Dismiss Granted”Merchan’s order added.
In a separate case about interference in the 2020 election, special counsel Jack Smith requested the cancellation of the deadlines, delaying the case indefinitely, although without ruling it out completely.
The move is in line with the Justice Department’s long-standing policy of not prosecuting sitting presidents.
The Manhattan prosecutor previously acknowledged in correspondence with the court that ““These are unprecedented circumstances.” and called for balancing the competing interests of the jury verdict and Trump’s election.
Trump’s former attorney general, Bill Barrpreviously said that both the New York case and others across the country had been “evidently presented for political purposes (and) have now been widely debated and rejected in public opinion”.
Trump has repeatedly called the hush money case a “witch hunt”, stating that “should be ended with justice”.
In addition to the case in New York, brought by state prosecutors, Trump faces two active federal cases: One related to his effort to overturn the 2020 election and another linked to his mishandling of classified documents after leaving office.
However, as president, would have the ability to intervene to put an end to those casesand Smith, the special prosecutor in charge of both, has apparently begun to shut them down.
A Trump-appointed federal judge already dismissed the documents case, but Smith sought to appeal that decision.
(AFP)
