Former President Donald Trump’s Manhattan Hush Money Trial Sentencing Delayed to September
Former President Donald Trump’s sentencing in his Manhattan hush money trial has been postponed to September, following a decision by prosecutors to delay the historic event in light of the US Supreme Court’s ruling granting presidents immunity for “official acts.”
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan approved the request to push back the July 11 sentencing in the felony fudging business records case. This delay will allow him to rule on Trump’s claim that prosecutors inappropriately used trial evidence from his time in the White House.
Merchan stated that he will make a decision on how the immunity ruling affects the case by September 6, with the sentencing now scheduled for September 18 “if such is still necessary.”
Trump, who is 78 years old, faces up to four years in prison for covering up a $130,000 payout to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. However, he could also receive probation or community service as a possible sentence.
The delay in sentencing comes after prosecutors, while maintaining that Trump’s arguments are “without merit,” agreed to postpone the sentencing to allow the court to rule on the ex-president’s claim that jurors should not have heard trial evidence from his time in the Oval Office.
This postponement means that Trump’s penalty in the case will remain uncertain until after he formally secures the GOP nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which is set to begin on July 15.
