A New York state court has sentenced U.S. President-elect, Donald Trump, to unconditional discharge in his hush-money case....CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE➤
This means he’ll face no jail time, penalties or probation. Judge Juan Merchan pronounced his sentence on Friday, which gave Trump an unconditional discharge, as expected.
The sentencing, however, means Trump will remain a felon having become the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes, a major dent to his image.
Trump, who attended the sentencing virtually, did not react as Merchan concluded the hearing.
This came 10 days before the president-elect’s inauguration.
Trump was convicted in May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records having made a $130,000 payment through his former personal lawyer in 2016 to silence adult film actress, Stormy Daniels, who alleged she had a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier.
His sentencing was originally scheduled for July 11, 2024, but was postponed twice at the request of his lawyers.
Trump, on Wednesday, made a last push to prevent his sentencing by filling an appeal to the New York Appeal Court and the Supreme Court, urging them to intervene in his case.
“By repeatedly admitting evidence of President Trump’s official acts during trial, the trial court violated the principles of presidential immunity that this court enumerated,” Trump’s lawyers wrote to both courts.
But the Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, whose office prosecuted the case, filed a response to his appeal.
“Defendant now asks this court to take the extraordinary step of intervening in a pending state criminal trial to prevent the scheduled sentencing from taking place – before final judgment has been entered by the trial court, and before any direct appellate review of defendant’s conviction.
“There is no basis for such intervention,” Bragg’s office wrote on Thursday.
Trump’s hopes were dashed as his appeal to both courts returned unsuccessful, paving way for his sentencing.
At the sitting on Friday, Justice Juan Merchan of the New York state court declined to sentence the president-elect to prison time or impose fines as he is set to become US president.
“This court has determined that the only lawful sentence that permits entry of judgment of conviction without encroachment on the highest office of the land is a sentence of unconditional discharge,” Justice Juan Merchan told Trump.
While acknowledging the “extraordinary legal protections” Trump is set to enjoy as president, Merchan emphasised that “they do not reduce the seriousness of the crime or justify its commission in any way.”
Falsification of business records under the U.S law is punishable by up to four years in prison, but Trump would have been unlikely to get jail time due to his advanced age and lack of a criminal history.
His victory at the presidential election and his inauguration further made a jail sentence or probation less practical. ...CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE➤
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