In a recent development regarding former President Donald Trump’s case relating to payments that were concealed, the New York prosecutors have announced their agreement with his plea to put off the sentencing. It has been decided that the final call lies with the overseeing Judge Juan Merchan. The district attorney’s office of Manhattan shared this in a letter which was made public on Monday, allowing the court to have the final say on when sentencing should be scheduled.
The ex-president, who is now 78 years old, previously had his sentencing scheduled for the 18th of September. This sentencing is linked to the implications of Trump hiding payment transactions to Stormy Daniels, a prominent pornographic actress who previously asserted that she and Trump had an intimate connection. The request to delay the sentencing came from Trump’s legal team, which hoped to postpone it until after the upcoming election on November 5.
The request came as a result of the upcoming election showdown between Trump, the Republican nominee, and Kamala Harris, the Democratic opponent. Todd Blanche, an integral part of Trump’s legal representation team, reasoned that the originally decided date of September 18 for the sentencing would not give Trump ample time to consider appealing a discrete ruling related to presidential immunity, this ruling being a direct result of a recent Supreme Court decision.
Trump found himself on the other side of the law following his conviction in May, orchestrated by a New York jury. He was culpable for 34 counts of altering business documents to mask payments made to Daniels on the brink of the elections in 2016. The sentencing date query was acknowledged in a letter to Judge Merchan, with the prosecutors stating they would yield the decision to the Court on the proper sequencing post-trial.
The proposed schedule would ensure adequate time to consider the presidential immunity motion while simultaneously ensuring that the sentence is handed down without unwarranted delay. The prosecution has affirmed their readiness to proceed with the sentencing on whichever date the court deems fit, thus granting the court the authority to set the subsequent timetable.
For the records, Judge Merchan has previously granted a temporary reprieve on Trump’s sentencing. Earlier, the sentencing was set to happen on July 11, but the presiding judge pushed it back after the Supreme Court granted a certain level of immunity from criminal prosecution to former presidents.
This marks a historical event as Trump stands as the first ex-president to ever be convicted of a crime. The former leader of the United States has been vigilantly working to delay multiple trials pending against him until after the elections conclude.
Alongside his ongoing legal battles, Trump also faces allegations in the state of Washington and Georgia. These charges pertain to his concerted attempts to reverse the outcome of the 2020 elections, which ended in Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate, emerging victorious.