President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced to unconditional release Friday after being found guilty of falsifying business records stemming from a years-long investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The president-elect attended the sentencing virtually after fighting to block the process all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court this week. Mr. Trump sat next to his defense attorney, Todd Blanche.
President Trump petitions to uphold 'unlawful sentence' in New York case
President Trump called the lawsuit and his decision a “tremendous setback for the American court system.”
“This is a great shame for the state of New York,” Trump said, adding that the people witnessed the trial firsthand and voted “resolutely” to elect him president.
Judge Juan Melchan set the date for January 10, exactly 10 days before he was scheduled to be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.
From left to right: Judge Juan Marchan, former President Donald Trump, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. (Getty Images, AP Images)
Marchand did not sentence the president-elect to prison, instead handing down unconditional release. This means that penalties such as imprisonment, fines, and probation are not imposed. The ruling also preserves President Trump's ability to appeal his conviction.
“After careful analysis, this court has determined that the only lawful sentence to allow entry of a guilty verdict is an unconditional discharge,” Machan said Friday. “At this time, I would impose that sentence to cover all 34 counts.”
Machan added: “Your Excellency, I wish you the best of luck in your second term.”
Marchan said last week that when scheduling his sentencing, he was unlikely to “impose a sentence of incarceration,” but rather “unconditional release,” meaning no punishment. .
President Trump has appealed to the New York State Court of Appeals to block the sentencing from proceeding. The court denied his request.
President Trump also filed an emergency motion with the U.S. Supreme Court to “immediately order a stay of the pending criminal proceeding in the Supreme Court of New York County, State of New York.”
The high court rejected the request, stating, “The motion for stay filed with Justice Sotomayor and referred to the court by her is denied for the following reasons, inter alia.”
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Trump says he respects Supreme Court's decision to deny request to halt ruling and vows to appeal
“First, any alleged evidentiary violations in President-elect Trump's state court trial can be addressed through the normal appellate process,” the Supreme Court's order filed Thursday night said. “Second, the burden of sentencing is high.'' The burden placed on the president-elect is relatively insubstantial, given the trial court's intent to issue a judgment of unconditional removal after a short virtual hearing. ”
The order also stated that “Judges Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh grant the application.”
The U.S. Supreme Court poses for an official portrait in the East Conference Room of the Supreme Court Building on October 7, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Trump's request needed five votes to be granted. The order indicates that Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett voted with Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Katanji Brown Jackson.
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Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States on January 20th.
President Trump has maintained his innocence in the case and has repeatedly denounced it as an example of a “legal” push by Democrats to harm his campaign in November.
