A New York court on Friday delayed former President Donald Trump’s sentencing in the Stormy Daniels hush money case until after the election, handing the GOP presidential nominee a major victory.
Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records at a May trial.
Trump had requested that his originally scheduled Sept. 18, 2024, sentencing be delayed until after Election Day in order to “avoid the potential ‘politically prejudicial’ impact that a public sentencing could have” on him.
Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan on Friday, according to his four-page letter, moved the sentencing to Nov. 26, two days before Thanksgiving. It is still unclear if Trump will receive any prison time.
“The decision on the motion and the imposition of sentence will be adjourned to avoid any appearance—however unwarranted—that the proceeding has been affected by or seeks to affect the approaching Presidential election in which the Defendant is a candidate,” Merchan wrote in his decision.
“This matter is one that stands alone, in a unique place in this Nation’s history, and this Court has presided over it since its inception—from arraignment to jury verdict and a plenitude of motions and other matters in-between,” Merchan added.
Trump previously lost a bid on Tuesday to get his hush money case bumped up to a federal court.
“It would be highly improper for this Court to evaluate issues of bias, unfairness or error in the state trial,” Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein said of his decision to deny Trump’s request.
Trump’s attorneys had argued that Merchan’s daughter, who is an employee of Authentic Campaigns, who have advised and fundraised for Democratic campaigns, was grounds for Merchan to recuse himself.
Merchan called Trump’s argument “rife with inaccuracies.”
“There should be no sentencing in the Manhattan DA’s Election Interference Witch Hunt. As mandated by the United States Supreme Court, this case, along with all of the other Harris—Biden Hoaxes, should be dismissed,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told the Daily Beast in an emailed statement.
