Judge delays Trump sentencing until after US election
The sentencing of Donald Trump in his New York hush money trial was postponed on Friday until after the November presidential election, a victory for the Republican as he faces Democrat Kamala Harris in the closely contested race.The former president was set to be sentenced on September 18 for falsifying business records in an attempt to silence a porn star's politically damaging story.
However, Judge Juan Merchan postponed it until November 26, well after the November 5 election, as requested by Trump's lawyers.
"This is not a decision this Court makes lightly, but it is the decision that, in this Court's view, best advances the interests of justice," he wrote at the time.
Trump was convicted in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, which prevented her from disclosing an alleged sexual encounter on the eve of the 2016 election.
He was originally scheduled to be sentenced on July 11.
However, this was postponed after the US Supreme Court ruled that a former president enjoys broad immunity from criminal prosecution.
Following the Supreme Court's immunity ruling, Trump's lawyers have asked that his New York conviction be dismissed. Merchan stated that he would rule on the dismissal motion on November 12th.
The postponement comes as the already extraordinary White House race enters a new tense phase, with Harris and Trump scheduled for their first televised debate next Tuesday.
Instead of addressing key voter issues such as immigration or the economy, Trump was in New York hours before the ruling, rambling on about his numerous legal problems while denying multiple women's allegations of sexual harassment or assault.
"This is not the kind of publicity you like," Trump said from the lobby of Trump Tower, despite spending an hour unprompted reminding voters of his extensive legal troubles and allegations of rape and sexual assault by various women, including writer E. Jean Carroll.
The legal drama unfolded on the day the first mail-in ballots for the election were scheduled to be distributed.
North Carolina, a battleground state, was set to mail out approximately 130,000 absentee voting slips, signalling the symbolic start of a nationwide process that saw 155 million Americans vote in the bitter 2020 election.
However, a state appeals court halted the process in response to a last-minute lawsuit filed by independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who wants his name removed from ballots. The fringe candidate from America's most famous political family has dropped out and endorsed Donald Trump.
North Carolina is one of several swing states that Harris and Trump have been visiting as they enter the most intense phase of an election that is expected to be decided by razor-thin margins.
Other states will soon send out initial batches of ballots, and early in-person voting will begin in 47 states as soon as September 20.
Trump is scheduled to speak later on Friday in North Carolina.
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