President-elect Donald Trump is asking a judge to pause his sentencing related to a hush money case while he appeals recent decisions. His lawyers plan to appeal Judge Juan M. Merchan’s ruling, which set sentencing for this Friday, just a week before he starts his second term in office.
Judge Merchan has rejected Trump’s requests to throw out the verdict and has stated that Trump’s claim of presidential immunity does not apply here. He mentioned that a sentence without any punishment would be the most suitable outcome, likely meaning Trump could avoid jail time, fines, or probation.
Trump’s lawyers argue that they should automatically get a pause in the sentencing because they are appealing the judge’s decisions. If that doesn’t happen, they want the judge to delay the sentencing.
A Trump spokesperson described the case as an “unlawful sentencing” and an attack against him, saying the judge’s ruling must be dismissed. After the judge upheld the verdict, Trump warned that allowing this to go through would be the end of the Presidency as we know it.
The case involves a payment made to porn actress Stormy Daniels to keep her from speaking publicly about an alleged affair she claims to have had with Trump. Trump insists her claims are false and that he did nothing wrong.
Cohen, the lawyer who made the payment, once suggested Trump should be imprisoned but thinks that sentencing Trump without punishment is fair and wise.
Trump’s sentencing has already been delayed multiple times. The first date was last July, but it was pushed back twice at his lawyers’ requests. After the November election, the judge postponed it again so both sides could consider the next steps.
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