President-elect Trump is expected to be sentenced Friday after being found guilty on charges of falsifying business records stemming from a years-long investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The president-elect is expected to attend the sentencing virtually, after fighting to block the process all the way to the United States Supreme Court this week.
Judge Juan Merchan set Trump’s sentencing for January 10—just ten days before he is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.
TRUMP FILED REQUEST TO STAY ‘ILLEGAL CONVICTION’ IN NEW YORK CASE
Merchan, however, said he would not sentence the newly elected president to prison.
From left to right: Judge Juan Merchan, former President Donald Trump and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. (Getty Images, AP Images)
Merchan wrote in his decision that he would likely not “impose a prison sentence,” but rather an “unconditional discharge,” meaning no sentences would be imposed.
Trump filed an appeal with the New York State Court of Appeals to block the sentencing. That court rejected his request.
Trump also filed an emergency motion with the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that “the criminal proceedings pending in the Supreme Court of the District of New York, New York, are hereby ordered to be stayed immediately pending the final disposition of President Trump’s interlocutory appeal raising issues of presidential immunity, including in this court if necessary.”
“The court should also enter, if necessary, a temporary administrative stay while it considers this request for a stay,” Trump’s filing said.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg arrives at the trial of Daniel Penny after a lunch break at the Manhattan Supreme Court Building in New York, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital)
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Trump’s lawyers also argued that New York prosecutors wrongly admitted extensive evidence related to official presidential actions during the trial, ignoring the high court’s ruling on presidential immunity.
The Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that presidents have immunity from prosecution in connection with official presidential acts.
But New York prosecutors argued that the high court had “no jurisdiction” over the case.
Trump previously explained the strategic component of his single-bill reconciliation approach. (Getty Images)
They also argued that the evidence they presented in last year’s trial related to “unofficial conduct not subject to any immunity.”
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Trump was charged in the first instance with 34 counts of falsifying business documents. He pleaded not guilty to those charges. After an unprecedented six-week trial of the former president and presidential candidate, a New York jury found the now-president-elect guilty on all counts.
Trump maintains his innocence in the case and has repeatedly denounced it as an example of a “law” being pushed by Democrats in an attempt to hurt his election efforts ahead of November.
