Big Relief For Donald Trump As Sentencing In Hush Money Case Delayed Until After US Election

Former US President Donald Trump will now no longer face sentencing in his New York criminal case until after the 2024 presidential election in November, as reported by the media. Judge Juan Merchan, as per a CNN report, cited the reason within the back of this delay as an effort to keep away from any appearance of influencing the final result of the presidential race. In a four-page letter, Merchan stated that Trump would potentially be sentenced on November 26, responding to a request from Trump’s legal team to postpone the sentencing.

Trump became convicted in May on 34 counts related to falsifying business records to conceal a hush money payment made to an adult-film superstar who alleged an affair with the previous President, in keeping with CNN. Alternatively, the sentencing has been put on hold for various months following attempts by Trump’s lawyers to have the conviction overturned in keeping with the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity.

Judge Merchan’s decision to delay the sentencing became influenced by the upcoming presidential election. He emphasized that a part of the rationale within the back of the delay became to prevent any perception that the timing of the sentencing may impact the November election.

“Adjourning decision on the motion and sentencing, if such is required, should dispel any suggestion that the Court will have issued any decision or imposed sentence either to produce an advantage to, or to create a disadvantage for, any political party and or any candidate for any office,” Merchan wrote.

Trump expressed appreciation for the language Merchan used in delaying his sentencing, noting that it truly is going to simply start off “if necessary”.

“I greatly appreciate the words within the letter these days from the judge. He said ‘if necessary’, being utilised within the decision, because there needs to be no ‘if necessary’. This case should rightfully be terminated instantaneously,” Trump said at some point of remarks to the Fraternal Order of Police in North Carolina.

The former President also falsely said that the sentencing became “postponed” because he “did nothing wrong”.

To boot to pushing back the sentencing until November 26, Merchan wrote that he would come to a decision on Trump’s motion to vacate the decision caused by Supreme Court’s immunity decision on November 12, which may be after the election, CNN reported.

Merchan wrote in his letter that the Supreme Court “rendered a historic and intervening decision” with its immunity ruling.

The choice to ward off the sentencing until after the November 5 election marks yet some other delay that’s been a fixture in all of Trump’s criminal cases since he became indicted four times — in New York, Florida, Washington, DC and Georgia — in 2023.

The Florida classified documents case became disregarded by the judge in July — though the special counsel is appealing that call — while the choice two January 6-related cases are in limbo and won’t move forward ahead of the election.

The sole real indictment that went to trial this year became the New York hush money case that ended within the May guilty verdict.

(With IANS inputs)