NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump on Monday asked a judge to halt this week's sentencing in his “hush money” case while he appeals a recent ruling that upheld the sentence.
Trump's lawyers said they plan to ask a state appeals court to overturn it. Judge Juan M. Marchan Last week's ruling set for sentencing on Friday — just over a week until he is sworn into his second term.
In two rulings in recent weeks, Marchan rejected Trump's bid to throw out the verdict and drop the charges, citing presidential immunity and his impending return to the White House. did.
In his ruling last week, the judge indicated he was unlikely to hand down a historic conviction for Republican President Trump. 34 felonies for falsifying business records. Recognizing the demands of the transition process, Trump was given the option of attending in person or appearing virtually by video.
Trump's lawyers argued in court documents Monday that his planned appeal to the Appellate Division of the state's trial court would trigger a so-called automatic stay or moratorium on proceedings. If that doesn't happen, they argued, Marchan should grant a reprieve and prevent sentencing from taking place as scheduled on Friday.
“Today, President Trump's legal team moved to block Manhattan prosecutors' wrongful conviction in their witch hunt,” President Trump's press secretary Stephen Chan said in a statement. “The Supreme Court’s historic decision on immunity, the New York State Constitution, and other well-established precedents require that this worthless misinformation be immediately dismissed.”
A message seeking comment was left with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, which prosecuted the case.
Although President Trump argued that presidential immunity and his looming second term required the verdict to be vacated, Marchan said in his Jan. “The only justice is to put an end to this problem.”
The judge wrote that sentencing Trump to so-called unconditional release, which would end the case without jail time, fines or probation, “appears to be the most viable solution.”
Trump will have a chance to speak at sentencing, as will his lawyers and prosecutors. Once the sentence is handed down, he will be able to appeal the sentence, as promised.
Trump is expected to become the first president to hold office after being convicted of a felony. In a social media post, he said if the judge's May 30 ruling upholding the ruling stands, “the presidency as we know it will be over.”
The charges allegedly included a plan to conceal a secret. payment of hush money In the final weeks of Trump's 2016 campaign, he sued porn actor Stormy Daniels to stop her from going public with claims that she had sex with Trump years earlier. He insists that her story is false and that he did nothing wrong.
The lawsuit centered on how to explain how Trump paid Daniels, his personal attorney at the time, Michael Cohen. The conviction could have resulted in a fine or suspended sentence to up to four years in prison.
Cohen, a key prosecution witness who had previously called for Trump to be jailed, said Marchand's decision to sentence Trump without punishment was “wise and appropriate, given all the intervening circumstances.” ” he said.
Trump's sentencing was originally scheduled for July 11 last year; Postponed twice At the request of the defense. After President Trump's election on Nov. 5, Marchan sentenced again Therefore, the defense and prosecution may consider the future of the case.
