The announcement of the sentence in the hush money trial against US President-elect Donald Trump has been postponed indefinitely. A possible date for the sentence, actually planned for Tuesday next week, can now only be announced after new deadlines for the parties’ applications have passed. Judge Juan Merchan in New York set this for early December, according to court documents.
Trump’s lawyers want to have the verdict overturned. They argue that it could hinder the handover of power to Trump. The judge gave the lawyers until December 2nd to make a corresponding application. The public prosecutor’s office has until December 9th to respond. She had previously stated that she wanted to stick to the verdict, but was open to postponing the sentencing until after Trump’s second term in office in 2029.
If the verdict stands, Trump would become the first convicted felon in US history to move into the White House. With Friday’s decision, it seems less likely that a sentence will be announced in the case before Trump takes office on January 20th.
Guilty on 34 counts
Jurors in New York found Trump guilty on 34 counts at the end of May. The trial concerned the illegal concealment of $130,000 in hush money payments to a porn actress in order to gain advantages in the 2016 election campaign. It was the first time in United States history that a former president was convicted of a crime. At the beginning of November, Trump was the first convicted criminal to be elected US President.
The sentence was originally supposed to be announced in mid-September. But then Judge Merchan granted Trump’s request that the punishment not be announced until after the presidential election. In the worst case scenario, Trump would face several years in prison. However, many observers believed that a suspended sentence or a fine was much more likely.
Presidential office will protect Trump in further proceedings
Further proceedings are ongoing against Trump – but it is already foreseeable that they will come to nothing with his election as US President one way or another. This includes the trial in Washington in which Trump was impeached in connection with attempted election fraud and the storming of the US Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021. Special investigator Jack Smith wants to decide how to proceed in the case by December 2nd.
