Court Rejects Trump’s Bid To Delay Sentencing In Hush Money Case Before Inauguration
United States President-elect Donald Trump’s latest attempt to delay his sentencing in his hush money case has been rejected by a New York appeals court judge on Tuesday.
Judge Ellen Gesmer denied Trump’s request for an immediate order sparing him from sentencing while he appeals the decision of Judge Juan M. Merchan to uphold the historic verdict.
This marked the second time in two days that Trump’s request had been denied, Associated Press reports.
Trump had previously sought an indefinite postponement after Merchan denied his initial bid.
Despite his efforts, Trump’s sentencing remains on schedule for Friday, although he may seek further intervention from other courts.
At an emergency hearing, Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, argued that, as president-elect, Trump should be granted the same immunity from criminal proceedings as a sitting president.
However, this was rejected by Merchan, who ruled last week that Trump’s status as president-elect does not confer such immunity.
Manhattan district attorney’s office attorney Steven Wu pointed out that granting immunity to a president-elect would contradict the established principle of having one president at a time.
Trump did not attend the hearing, and the judge has indicated that he may accommodate the transition by allowing Trump to attend sentencing via video link, rather than appearing in person.
Despite the ongoing legal challenges, Trump’s legal team maintains that the case should be dismissed entirely.
They have suggested taking the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court. Merchan had already rejected Trump’s request to dismiss the case, emphasizing the need for finality in the matter through sentencing.
Blanche argued in his filing on Tuesday that Merchan’s interpretation of presidential immunity was incorrect, asserting that it should extend to a president-elect during the sensitive presidential transition process.
He argued that conducting a criminal sentencing during this time would undermine the transition and the incoming president’s authority.
The sentencing, which follows Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records, centres on his involvement in a scheme to cover up a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Trump maintains that the allegations against him are false and that he did nothing wrong.
Trump faces potential punishment ranging from a fine or probation to a prison term of up to four years.
Although sentencing was originally scheduled for July 11, it had been postponed twice at the request of the defence.
Following Trump’s November 5 election, Judge Merchan delayed sentencing again to allow both sides to present their positions on the future of the case.
