Trump's Legal Team Gets Big Win from New York Judge Juan Merchan - Sentencing Delayed Until After Election
Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan announced Friday that the sentencing of former President Donald Trump in his business records case will be postponed until after the November election.
Judge Merchan presided over the case, where Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels by Michael Cohen, Trump’s lawyer at the time, before the 2016 election.
Originally, the sentencing was scheduled for July 11 after the May conviction. However, it was delayed until September 18 due to a July 1 U.S. Supreme Court ruling granting presidents partial immunity for official acts performed while in office.
Trump’s legal team requested a further delay, arguing that a ruling on the presidential immunity case, expected on September 16, may require an appeal.
Trump's attorneys, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, said in an August 14 filing that “a single business day is an unreasonably short period of time” for such an appeal, and added, “There is no basis for continuing to rush,” as reported by NBC News.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office, led by Alvin Bragg, indicated they would leave it to the court’s discretion whether to allow more time for an appeal but stated they were prepared to proceed with sentencing whenever the court chose.
In a letter sent Friday to both Trump’s attorney Blanche and Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo, Judge Merchan acknowledged that the case is "unique" in the country’s history. He emphasized the need for a sentencing hearing that focuses solely on the jury's verdict and weighs factors without "distraction or distortion."
The judge noted the challenges the case presents at this point in time, stating, “Unfortunately, we are now at a place in time that is fraught with complexities rendering the requirements of a sentencing hearing, should one be necessary, difficult to execute.”
Merchan explained his decision to postpone sentencing, writing that the delay was intended to avoid any perception that the proceedings were influenced by or would affect the upcoming Presidential election in which Trump is a candidate.
He concluded, “This is not a decision this Court makes lightly but it is the decision which in this Court’s view, best advances the interests of justice.”
The final order moved the sentencing date to November 26, 2024, "if necessary."
In response to the judge’s use of the words “if necessary,” Trump took to Truth Social, writing, “I greatly appreciate the words ‘if necessary’ being utilized in the Decision, because there should be no ‘if necessary’ – This case should be rightfully terminated, as we prepare for the Most Important Election in the History of our Country.”
Trump also expressed his continued criticism of the case, stating, “The Manhattan D.A. Witch Hunt has been postponed because everyone realizes that there was NO CASE, I DID NOTHING WRONG! It is a political attack against me by Comrade Kamala Harris and other Radical Left Opponents for purposes of Election Interference, and is a case that should have never been brought."
Trump added, “Nothing like this has ever happened in the United States of America – IT IS STRICTLY THIRD WORLD, BANANA REPUBLIC ‘STUFF.’”