Donald Trump’s Hush Money Sentencing Moved To September If “Still Necessary” After SCOTUS’ Presidential Immunity Ruling – Update
UPDATE, 12:08 PM: Donald Trump will not go into the Republican National Convention as a sentenced felon for business fraud and trying to buy the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels.
“The July 11, 2024, sentencing date is therefore vacated,” wrote Judge Juan Merchan today in further fallout from the Supreme Court’s very pro-Trump presidential immunity decision unveiled on Monday. “The Court’s decision will be rendered off calendar on September 6, 2024 and the matter is adjourned to September 18, 2024 at 10:00 AM for the imposition of sentence, if such is still necessary, or other proceedings.”
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That “if still necessary” is the operative term, with SCOTUS’ final ruling of its current session bringing a dramatic shift in the power and perception of the presidency. Trump’s team plans to see a dismissal of the conviction after the Supreme Court majority said that presidents were immune from criminal prosecution for “official acts.” But Manhattan prosecutors are likely to argue that none of Trump’s conduct was an “official act,” even though some of the events took place when he was in the White House.
The Republican National Convention will be held in the Wisconsin city from July 15-18.
PREVIOUSLY, 8:38 AM: Donald Trump’s sentencing looks likely to be delayed until after the Republican National Convention, as Manhattan prosecutors indicated that they would not oppose the former president’s legal team’s efforts to push back the date.
Trump is due to be sentenced on July 11.
But prosecutors today said that they would not oppose Trump’s effort to delay that date, as his legal team has sought extra time to file a motion to set aside the former president’s conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Their argument will be based on the Supreme Court’s decision on Monday that presidents enjoy immunity for official acts.
The prosecutors wrote in a letter to Judge Juan Merchan that they believe that Trump’s arguments are “without merit,” but they requested a deadline to file a response by July 24. That is nearly two weeks after the scheduled sentencing date and follows the GOP convention, which is July 15-18 in Milwaukee.
Trump was convicted in May of falsifying records stemming from the hush money payments paid to porn actress Stormy Daniels in advance of the 2016 election, before the Celebrity Apprentice host became president. Some of the evidence introduced at the trial had to do with Trump’s conduct after he took office, but prosecutors are likely to dismiss any claims that they were “official acts.”
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