Trump’s sentencing in hush money case set for January 10

Donald Trump is set to be sentenced on January 10th in his hush-money case in New York. This comes just two weeks before he is due to be sworn in as president, according to a judge’s order.

New York Justice Juan Merchan has indicated that he will not impose any jail time, probation, or fine on Trump. Instead, he plans to grant him an “unconditional discharge.” In his order, Merchan also stated that the president-elect has the option to appear in person or virtually for the hearing.

Trump tried to get the case against him dismissed by leveraging his victory in the presidential election.

The team expressed their criticism towards the judge’s decision to proceed with sentencing and strongly argued that the “lawless” case should be dismissed without delay.

In May, Trump faced conviction on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records. These charges were linked to a $130,000 payment made to adult-film star Stormy Daniels.

Donald Trump faces charges in connection with efforts to conceal payments to his former attorney, Michael Cohen. Cohen, during the last stretch of the 2016 election, arranged a hush money payment to silence an adult film actress who claimed to have had a sexual encounter with Trump.

The president-elect has firmly denied any wrongdoing and maintains his plea of not guilty. He asserts that the case against him is merely an attempt to undermine his presidential campaign for 2024.

Trump’s spokesperson openly criticized Judge Merchan’s sentencing order on Friday, claiming it to be a part of a “witch hunt”.

According to Steven Cheung, President Trump should be given the opportunity to carry out the important responsibilities of the presidency without any hindrance from ongoing investigations or any other attempts to undermine his authority.

President Trump is committed to fighting against these hoaxes until they are completely debunked. He firmly believes that there should be no sentencing, and he will continue to stand against these false claims.

Trump recently filed a motion to address the case, expressing concern that it would have a lingering impact on his presidency and hinder his ability to effectively govern.

Justice Merchan was given advice on various options that could address Trump’s concerns about being distracted by a criminal case while serving as president. These measures were suggested as alternatives to overturning the jury’s verdict, which Justice Merchan considered to be an extreme remedy.

The judge had a couple of options on the table. One option was to delay the sentencing until Trump, who is currently 78 years old, leaves the White House in 2029. Another option was to ensure that the sentence would not include any prison time.

Initially, Trump argued against the case that ran afoul of a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity, but he was unsuccessful.

The country’s top court, in a ruling made in July, declared that presidents enjoy extensive immunity from criminal prosecution for any “official actions” they undertake during their time in office.

Last month, Justice Merchan upheld the validity of Trump’s hush money conviction.

Trump is on track to become the first person with a criminal record to hold the position of President of the United States.

After the sentencing, he may consider appealing against the conviction.

Falsifying business records in the US can lead to a maximum prison sentence of four years, but there is no mandatory minimum sentence, and imprisonment is not always necessary.

Legal experts believed that it was improbable for Trump to be sentenced to jail, even before his election victory. This opinion was based on factors such as his age and legal history.

Trump is facing charges in three additional state and federal criminal cases. One case involves classified documents, while the other two pertain to his alleged attempts to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election.

Justice Merchan postponed the sentencing date for the president-elect, which was initially set for 26 November, following Trump’s victory in the presidential election.

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