Donald Trump is to appear in court on January 10 to hear the verdict in a criminal case
4 January 09:56
On January 10, President-elect Donald Trump will be sentenced in a criminal case in which he was convicted on charges of hiding money paid to a porn star. But, as the judge hinted, he is unlikely to face a prison sentence. This was reported by Reuters, according to Komersant ukrainskyi.
The decision of Judge Juan Merchant means that Trump will have to appear in court only 10 days before his inauguration on January 20, and this, as the publication emphasizes, is an unprecedented scenario in US history. Before Trump, no US president – former or current – had ever been charged with or convicted of a crime.
The judge said that the 78-year-old Trump could appear for sentencing in person or virtually. He also said he was not inclined to sentence Trump to prison.
Instead, Trump’s spokesman, Steven Chang, said that there should be no verdict in this case at all.
“This lawless case should never have been brought, and the Constitution demands that it be dismissed immediately,” Cheng said.
Judge Juan Merchant, having announced his intention to announce the verdict, rejected Trump’s motion to dismiss the case because of his victory in the presidential election. As you know, Trump’s lawyers argued that the trial during his presidency would impede his ability to govern.
Merchant rejected this argument, noting that overturning the jury’s verdict would “undermine the rule of law.”
What is known about this historic case
Reuters reminds that the case was initiated by a $130,000 payment made by former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. It was a payment for her silence before the 2016 election about a sexual relationship she said she had had a decade ago with Trump. The latter denies it.
In May, a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal the payment. This is the first time a US president has been convicted or charged with a criminal offense.
Trump has pleaded not guilty and called the case an attempt by Manhattan District Attorney Bragg, who brought the charges, to damage his 2024 campaign.
Trump’s sentencing was originally scheduled for July 11, 2024, but has been postponed several times. On Thursday, Judge Merchant said that Trump’s request in August to postpone his sentencing until after the election meant that he was accepting a conviction during the transition period.
After Trump won the election on November 5, the judge postponed sentencing indefinitely to decide on further steps.
Falsification of business records is punishable by up to four years in prison, but imprisonment is not mandatory. Before Trump’s election victory, legal experts said it was unlikely that Trump would be imprisoned, explaining that he had no criminal record and was of advanced age.
What other cases have been filed against Trump
In 2023, Donald Trump was indicted in three other criminal cases at the state and federal level: one related to classified documents he kept after leaving office, and two more to his attempts to undo his 2020 election loss.
Trump has pleaded not guilty in all three cases. After Trump’s election victory, the Department of Justice decided to close two federal cases.
The criminal case against Trump in Georgia on charges related to his attempt to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election in that state is in limbo.
