Trump's punishment will only be announced shortly before the US election
At the end of May, Donald Trump will be found guilty of concealing a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. The sentencing should have been announced on July 11. However, the date has been postponed. A Supreme Court ruling could play a role in Trump's favor.
The sentencing in the New York hush money case against Donald Trump has been postponed from July 11 to September 18 at 10:00 am local time. The sentencing will be postponed until September 18 at 10:00 am local time "if necessary," according to a document released on Tuesday by Judge Juan Merchan. This will allow the consideration of the Supreme Court decision on Monday, which granted Trump executive immunity for "official" actions during his presidency.
Therefore, the sentencing against Trump will be announced seven weeks before the US presidential election on November 5. Trump was found guilty by the jury in all 34 counts in the indictment for falsifying business documents to make the hush money payment to the former porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump is the first former US president to be criminally charged in history.
Trump's lawyers want to annul the verdict
Shortly after the Supreme Court decision on Monday, granting Trump immunity for "official" actions during his presidency, his attorney Todd Blanche requested permission from the judge to appeal the verdict and postpone the sentencing in a letter. It is unlikely that Trump, who is 78 years old and plans to run against President Joe Biden in a rematch of the 2020 election, will face imprisonment. Since Trump is the first person to be criminally charged and it is not a violent crime, experts expect a probation or fine.
Trump's lawyers want to completely annul the verdict and see themselves reinforced in their efforts by the Supreme Court's ruling on Trump's immunity and that of US presidents in general. The $130,000 hush money payment (equivalent to around 122,000 euros today) to Stormy Daniels was paid before the 2016 election, that is, before Trump took office in the White House. However, it was paid by Trump's then lawyer Michael Cohen, who later received the money back from Trump when he was already president.
The Supreme Court did not grant Trump full immunity for all his actions during his presidency. The Court explicitly excluded such actions from the protection against prosecution that have a "private" - that is, non-official - character. The Supreme Court decision specifically concerned another case, namely the indictment against Trump before a federal court for his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden after the fact.
- Despite the postponement of his sentencing due to a Supreme Court ruling, former US President Donald Trump has expressed his intention to run for office again in the US presidential election 2024.
- Despite being found guilty in the hush money case involving porn star Stormy Daniels, the Supreme Court's decision may play a significant role in potentially reducing Trump's sentencing in politics-related charges.
- In response to the Supreme Court's decision granting him immunity for "official" actions during his presidency, Trump's legal team is seeking to annul the verdict in the Stormy Daniels case, involving a payment made before his presidency began.
