(The Post News)- Trump sentenced in New York hush money care and avoids jail as president-elect. Image: CGTN
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump avoids imprisonment or any other form of punishment. He allegedly paid hush money to a porn star. The judge says that Trump’s inauguration on the 20th of January will not erase his jury verdict.
Justice Juan Mercyan has sentenced Trump to unconditional discharge. The sentence placed a judgment of guilt on his recorded closed case which was hanging over Trump’s bid to retake the White House.
Trump would now be the first president to take office with a felony criminal record. According to Merchan, he claims to have been imposing the sentence sparing Trump jail, a fine, or probation. His reason? The U.S. Constitution prevents presidents from being criminally prosecuted. Merchan further adds that the protections afforded to the office does not reduce the seriousness of a crime or justify its commission in any way.
The considerable legal protection afforded by the office of the chief executive is a factor that overrides all others. Despite the extraordinary breadth of those protections, one power they do not provide is the power to erase jury verdicts.
During the six-week trial in 2024, Trump did not testify but, has rather been disparaging Merchan and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg repeatedly. A prosecutor at Bragg’s office, Joshua Steinglass, said at the hearing that Trump had been engaging in a “coordinated campaign.” Additionally to undermine the legitimacy of the case and “purposefully bred disdain for our judicial institutions.” He further adds that the prosecutors had supported the unconditional discharge sentence.
The verdict was unanimous and decisive according to Steinglass. He states that it must be respected. With Trump now sentenced, he has the right to appeal the verdict. However, this process may take years and play out while he is serving a four-year term as president.
After the hearing on Friday, Trump wrote in a social media post, “Now that this is over, we will appeal this hoax.”
Donald Trump recently lost a last-minute bid to the U.S. Supreme Court to avoid testifying in a state-level case, just as he’s about to take office. Trump has tried to avoid legal proceedings before. In 2020, he attempted to halt the 2020 Census count. However, it was ultimately blocked by the Supreme Court.
Merchan then closed the hearing by wishing Trump Godspeed as he assumes his second term in office.
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