Trump Wants Sentencing Delay

Letter to judge suggests post-election hearing in hush-money case
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 15, 2024 6:25 PM CDT
Trump Seeks Postponement in Hush-Money Sentencing
Donald Trump appears in Manhattan criminal court during jury deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York on May 30.   (Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP, Pool, File)

Donald Trump wants the judge in his criminal hush-money case to again postpone sentencing, with his lawyers saying in a letter, "There is no basis for continuing to rush." Judge Juan Merchan has postponed a sentencing hearing once, after the Supreme Court released its ruling on presidential immunity. The letter seeks a delay until after Election Day in November to allow more time to challenge Trump's conviction, ABC News reports. Trump's lawyers raised whether sentencing should take place when early voting is in progress. "Setting aside naked election-interference objectives, there is no valid countervailing reason for the Court to keep the current sentencing date on the calendar," they wrote, per CNN.

Merchan has said that he will rule Sept. 16 on Trump's request to have the conviction on 34 counts thrown out because of the immunity decision. As of now, sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 18. "That timing illustrates just how unreasonable it is to have the potential for only a single day between a decision on first-impression Presidential immunity issues and an unprecedented and unwarranted sentencing," Trump's lawyers wrote. Prosecutors responded that the Supreme Court decision doesn't apply. Trump also has tried to get Merchan off the case, accusing him of a conflict of interest. In denying a motion to accomplish that on Wednesday, the judge criticized the defense lawyers for raising "inaccurate and unsubstantiated claims." Nevertheless, they repeated the claims in their letter Thursday. (More Trump hush-money trial stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X