New York Judge Juan Merchan on Friday delayed Donald Trump’s sentencing in the Stormy Daniels case until weeks after the November election.
The measure, announced in a document, sets sentencing for November 26. scheduled for September 18, just two months before choice day. Trump’s lawyers want him to postpone it.
The judge, whom Trump repeatedly attacked during his trial, has told the parties he will make a decision on the timing of the trial on Friday. Trump faces up to four years in prison, though experts predict the first-time defendant may not be sentenced to any prison time.
Trump’s lawyers sought to have the case moved from Merchan’s Manhattan court to federal court. They said Merchan should not convict Trump while that matter is being litigated and argued that sentencing in the fall amounts to “election interference.”
District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has said it should be up to the judge to decide, but said in a filing that Trump’s complaints about the timing of the case…are a function of their own strategic and delaying litigation tactics. An attorney for Bragg’s office said the decision will be made Friday.
The high-stakes decision comes at a time when Trump, who scheduled a news conference for Friday, was in court in a separate case in which his latest lawyers are appealing a $5 million judgment against him in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case.
The former US senator criticised the Stormy Daniels case and accused Vice President Kamala Harris and the US Department of Justice of being behind it.
Trump’s decision to appear in Carroll’s appeal case came a day after he decided not to appear at a court hearing in Washington, D.C., on the status of his case on January 6.
In that case, attorney John Lauro informed him of his “not guilty” plea in connection with his effort to overturn the election.
In the case of Stormy Daniels’ silence, Trump’s team has tried to delay the sentence twice.
He was found guilty in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments to the porn star.
Trump has repeatedly attacked the case and on Thursday night accused his election rival Kamala Harris of orchestrating it (Trump previously accused President Joe Biden of being behind his prosecution).
Judge Juan Merchan says he will issue a decision on whether to delay the sentencing scheduled for September 18 in his Stormy Daniels case
The sentencing arguments follow Trump’s conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to $130,000 hush payments to Stormy Daniels.
In a separate case, Trump and E. Jean Carroll attended a hearing in the Court of Appeals in Trump’s attempt to appeal a $5 million jury verdict.
‘This is what several academics and legal experts, brilliant lawyers, and highly respected journalists think about the Manhattan District Attorney’s hoax, where Democrats, led by Comrade Kamala Harris, working directly with the Department of Justice (which they are not supposed to do!), want to put a former President of the United States, and the leading candidate for President, in PRISON. This is unheard of, there has never been anything like it in our country, and they are doing this in a blatant and illegal attempt to “win” an election that, based on its results, should be “unwinnable,” but I can’t talk about it because Judge Merchan has put an unconstitutional gag order on me. Somehow EVERYTHING will work out, I don’t know how, I don’t know why, I don’t know when, but it always does!’
Although Merchan could give Trump a sentence of up to four years, legal experts have said a sentence of probation or community service is more likely.