Donald Trump is taking legal action against Judge Merchan to delay his sentencing for hush money payments
Manhattan: So, Trump is really trying to push back his sentencing. The judge in charge of his hush money case, Justice Juan Merchan, just shot down his last-minute request to delay it. The sentencing is set for January 10, and Trump’s arguments were mostly just repeats of what he’s said before.
Prosecutors are calling him out, saying he’s the one causing all these delays. They pointed out that his sentencing was supposed to happen back in July, right after a jury found him guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Now, Trump has even gone ahead and sued the judge, claiming he overstepped his bounds by not letting him use his presidential immunity defense. His lawyers argue that it’s unfair to make a president defend himself in court while the appeals are still being sorted out.
He’s asking to push his sentencing to January 27, just a week after he’s set to be inaugurated again. His team insists that a sitting president should have immunity, even during the transition period.
But the judge has made it clear that the case revolves around actions that have nothing to do with his official duties as president. Last week, Merchan surprised everyone by saying he wouldn’t send Trump to jail but would give him an “unconditional discharge,” which means no jail time or fines.
So, the sentencing hearing is coming up soon, just days before Trump returns to the White House. This whole situation stems from payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, which were falsely recorded as legal expenses. Trump has denied any wrongdoing throughout this mess.
