Trump wants to postpone the penalty announcement in the silent treatment trial to after the presidential election.
Former US President Donald Trump has asked the judge in his New York hush money trial to delay the sentencing decision until after the presidential election in November. In a letter released on Thursday, Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche argued that the currently scheduled September 18th date amounts to election interference.
A delay would also give Trump time to consider his next steps, following Judge Juan Merchan's September 16th decision on the defense's motion to vacate the verdict and dismiss the case entirely in light of a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity, Blanche wrote. "There is no need for further haste," he stated.
In the letter, Blanche reiterated the defense's argument that the judge has a conflict of interest because his daughter works as a political consultant for Democrats. Delaying the sentencing announcement until after the election would reduce, if not eliminate, concerns about the integrity of the proceedings, the lawyer wrote.
Trump was convicted in May of falsifying business records to hide hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels. He has dismissed the hush money case as a political maneuver aimed at sabotaging his current campaign for a return to the White House.
The judge under scrutiny, Judge Juan Merchan, faces accusations of a potential conflict of interest due to his daughter's work as a political consultant for Democrats. Trump's legal team argues that a delay in the sentencing announcement until after the November election could minimize concerns about the proceedings' integrity.
