Donald Trump asks judge to delay sentencing in hush money case until after November election
NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump the judge asks in his New York hush money criminal case to delay his sentencing until after the presidential election in November.
In a letter made public on ThursdayAn attorney for the former president and current Republican candidate suggested that convicting Trump as scheduled on Sept. 18 — roughly seven weeks before Election Day — would amount to election interference.
Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche wrote that a delay would also give Trump time to consider next steps after Trial Judge Juan M. Merchan is expected to rule Sept. 16 on the defense’s request for quash the verdict and dismiss the case due to the US Supreme Court ruling in July ruling on presidential immunity.
“There is no reason to keep rushing,” Blanche wrote.
Blanche sent the letter to Merchan on Wednesday after the judge denied the defense’s final request to withdraw from the case.
In the letter, Blanche reiterated the defense that the judge has a conflict of interest because his daughter works as a political consultant for Democrats, including Kamala Harris when she sought the 2020 presidential nomination. Harris is now running against Trump.
By delaying its ruling until after those elections, “the Court would reduce, if not eliminate, problems with the integrity of future proceedings,” Blanche wrote.
Election Day is November 5, but many states allow voters to cast their ballots earlier. In some states, the process begins a few days before or after Trump’s scheduled September 18 ruling.
Merchan, who has said he is confident he can remain fair and impartial, has not yet ruled on the request for a postponement.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted Trump’s case, declined to comment.
Trump was convicted in May of falsifying his company’s records to cover up a 2016 deal to pay porn actress Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about her alleged sexual encounter with him in 2006. Prosecutors see the payoff as part of a Trump-led effort to prevent voters from hearing racy stories about him during his first campaign.
Trump says all the stories were false, the company records were not, and that the case was a political maneuver designed to hurt his current campaign. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is a Democrat.
Trump’s defense argued that the payments were indeed for legitimate work and therefore properly categorized.
Falsifying corporate records carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison. Other possible penalties include probation, a fine or a suspended sentence, with Trump required to stay out of trouble to avoid additional punishment. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime.
Trump has promised to appeal, but that can only happen after he is convicted.
In an earlier letter, Merchan set September 18 as the date for “the imposition of a penalty or other appropriate proceedings.”
Blanche argued in his letter requesting the delay that the rapid transition from the scheduled immunity decision on September 16 to the sentencing two days later is unfair to Trump.
In preparation for sentencing, Blanche argued, prosecutors will file their sentencing recommendation while Merchan is still considering whether to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. If Merchan rules against Trump on the motion to dismiss, he will need “sufficient time to evaluate and pursue state and federal appellate options,” Blanche said.
The Supreme Court’s immunity ruling limits prosecutions of former presidents for official acts and restricts prosecutors from pointing to official acts as evidence that a president’s unofficial acts were illegal. Trump’s lawyers argue that, in light of the ruling, jurors in the hush-money case should not have been allowed to hear such evidence, such as former White House aides describing how the then-president responded to reports of the Daniels deal.