The sentence in the trial against US President Donald Trump following his conviction in New York could have influenced the US election. But now the judge is delaying the announcement.
In the New York trial over former President Donald Trump’s hush money payments, the sentence will not be announced until after the presidential election. Following a request from Trump, Judge Juan Merchan set the new date for November 26, according to court documents. The sentence had previously been expected to be set for September 18.
Trump had argued that a decision on sentencing just weeks before the November 5 election could affect the integrity of the vote.
In addition, the 78-year-old’s lawyers wrote that a prospective decision by the judge on another motion concerning Trump’s alleged immunity would leave too little time for an objection.
Merchan had originally set this decision for September 16th – two days before the sentence was announced. Merchan has now set November 12th as the new date for this decision.
Prison threatens in the worst case
The delay means that Americans will most likely go to the polls in early November without knowing whether Trump, who has already been found guilty, will have to go to prison or not. If he wins against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, the sentence could be delayed even further. In the worst case scenario, Trump faces a prison sentence of several years. However, some observers believe that a suspended sentence is more likely.
At the end of May, a jury in New York found the former president guilty of 34 charges. The trial concerned the illegal concealment of hush money payments to a porn actress in order to gain advantages in the 2016 election campaign. It was the first time in the history of the United States that a former president was convicted of a crime.
Groundbreaking Supreme Court decision as a lever
Trump has thus managed to delay a punishment that could potentially harm him in the election. He had already achieved something similar before on the basis of a success before the US Supreme Court: The highest US court recently ruled that although Trump does not enjoy complete immunity for actions during his time as president, the protection from prosecution is very extensive. This also had an impact on other ongoing proceedings against Trump.
The New York hush money case, however, is different and revolves primarily around Trump’s actions as a presidential candidate before the 2016 election. Trump had already failed in the past with the argument that the case concerned his presidency.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
