Former President Trump is seeking to push back sentencing in his criminal hush money case until after the 2024 presidential election, arguing that the current sentencing date of Sept. 18 advances what his attorneys call prosecutors’ “naked election-interference objectives.”
Judge Juan Merchan has already delayed sentencing once, at Trump’s request, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision on presidential immunity.
Trump was originally scheduled to be sentenced on July 11. Judge Merchan ruled last month that he would rule on Trump’s immunity claim on Sept. 16 and impose sentencing two days later.
That would set poor precedent. Then anyone could run an election to delay sentencing. That would actively encourage rich criminals to becone politicians.
That would actively encourage rich criminals to becone politicians
I have a bad news for you for you my friend
Pretty sure that’s the point
Correct me if I’m wrong, but there is not going to be jail time in this case, so how would it even be election interference?
Don’t jinx it. About a 15% chance of jail time according to betting odds.
There is absolutely a possibility of jail time. Whether it actually happens may be a low probability due to concerns over logistics (he is a former president, and as such is entitled to Secret Service protection).
Jail time is uncommon, but possible. Trump’s status as a first-time offender is in his favor. Trump’s total lack of remorse (or respect for the Court) is not.
I find it ridiculous that he’d have his sentencing rescheduled at all. Is this a Trumpian privilege or part of the US justice system? Like, if I were to be convicted and tried there, can I petition the judge to hold off for a reason that meets some criteria?
You can, if you have a Supreme Court that is in your pocket and makes up new rules for the trial after the trial is over.
The SC ruled not only that Presidents have a presumption of immunity for Official Acts, but also that their aides in the Executive Branch can’t give testimony about things the President says or does, even if those things fall outside the penumbra of “Official Acts”. So, after the trial was conducted with rules that allowed a small amount of testimony from Trump allies who also happened to be part of the administration, the judge was forced to consider whether these new rules affected the case.
I don’t see how this applies as he was convicted of crimes committed before he was President
Congratulations! You are smarter than six Supreme Court justices.
Judge Merchan has been a real wild card. I honestly do not have any idea what he’ll do here.
I hope Trump’s comment to Musk that their next interview might be in Venezuela comes back to bite him, big time. The judge can use that comment directly to justify needing to toss him in Rikers for a short time, to make sure he can’t possibly avoid accountability. I keep reminding everyone about this, but Rikers is so horrible that NYC has been trying to shut it down for years. I think even a week there, even in isolation so the SS can still protect him, might break him.
What I dearly want, even more than him losing the election or going to jail, is for him to be held accountable for he shit he says. It’s why the defamation case really got under his skin after all. Until these verdicts happened, he hasn’t been held accountable to anyone since his father died. And that even includes his time as President, when the GOP protected him against two impeachments.
“No. Get fucked.” gavel
… is how I dream of that going.
Trump isn’t even gonna get jail time, he can probably fundraise off of the probation or whatever he gets.
