A New York judge decided, on Thursday, November 21, to indefinitely suspend the sentence scheduled for November 26 against the now president-elect, Donald Trump, in the case of hidden payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, after a historic conviction in spring.
Judge Juan Merchán authorizes the lawyers of the American president-elect to file an appeal before December 2 to obtain the annulment of the procedure and therefore suspends the pronouncement of the sentence. Donald Trump was convicted on May 30 in this case of “aggravated accounting falsification to conceal a conspiracy to pervert the 2016 election.”
This case is the only one in which a criminal trial has been carried out against the Republican, of the four in which he was accused while he was a candidate in the presidential elections on November 5, which he won, an unprecedented scenario in history. of the United States.
After six weeks of debate, on May 30, a jury of twelve citizens unanimously found Donald Trump guilty of 34 counts of accounting falsification to conceal from voters the payment of $130,000 to movie star to avoid a sexual scandal. exploding at the end of his first victorious campaign, in 2016, against Hillary Clinton.
The sentence, which can range from a fine to prison, should have been initially pronounced on July 11 by Judge Juan Merchán, but the magistrate agreed to postpone his decision for the first time until September 18 and then until November 26, after the elections. in order to study new resources from defense attorneys.
Expanded presidential immunity
Now elected president of the United States, Donald Trump could escape any conviction, at least until he leaves the White House in 2029. According to emails made public by the court, the defense had asked Judge Merchan “suspension and rejection [de l’affaire] to prevent President Trump from being prevented from governing”. The Manhattan prosecutor’s office admitted that the ” circumstances [étaient] exceptional » and that it was necessary to find a ” balance “ between respect for“a guilty verdict by a jury after a trial” AND “the presidential function”.
Even before the election of Donald Trump, his lawyers had requested the cancellation of the procedure, following a decision by the Supreme Court, with a conservative majority, on 1Ahem July 2024, which significantly expanded presidential immunity. This appeal was filed alleging that the evidence used by the prosecution was related to official acts during the Republican’s first term in the White House (2017-2021).
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Donald Trump is already sure that he can bury the accusations brought by the federal courts, particularly the harshest ones regarding his alleged illegal attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. This was not the case with the trial in the Stormy Daniels case. which took place before the courts of the State of New York.
“Final verdict”
“The final democratic verdict on [toutes] “These demands were made by the voters.”had written in New York Times U.S. Supreme Court attorney Thomas Goldstein before the decision. “Despite the prosecutions, more than 75 million people (…) decided to send him back to the White House”adds Goldstein, who runs the blog SCOTUSblog.
But for former prosecutor Randall Eliason, “The election should not prevent the sentencing from falling, in the same way that the criminal trials did not prevent the election of Trump”. “The judge can issue a sentence that does not interfere with his presidential duties. From a judicial and historical point of view, it is important that the criminal process comes to an end.”estimated on his Sidebars blog.
Since being elected, Donald Trump has promised to appoint three of his personal lawyers, including Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who defended him in the New York trial, to key positions in the Justice Department.
