Trump's New York sentencing delayed until after Republican convention

Former US president tries to throw out conviction in hush-money case after major Supreme Court ruling

Former US president Donald Trump speaks at a dinner at Mar-a-Lago on June 5 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Getty Images / AFP

A New York judge has delayed until September 18 Donald Trump's sentencing on his conviction over hush-money payments during his 2016 electoral campaign.

After a request by Trump's lawyers and agreement by New York prosecutors, Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw the historic trial, said the date will be pushed back until autumn "for the imposition of sentence, if such is still necessary".

It was originally scheduled for July 11 and will now take place after the Republican convention, from July 15-18, where Trump is expected to be formally declared the party nominee for the November 5 presidential election.

Trump's team moved to overturn his conviction after the US Supreme Court's decision on presidential immunity for "official acts".

The ruling effectively gives Trump broad immunity from prosecution and has allowed for the delay of his federal trial over allegedly conspiring to overturn the 2020 election.

Hours after the Supreme Court ruling was announced, his lawyer Todd Blanche said in a letter to the New York court that, given the decision, some evidence presented during the case was inadmissible as it involved “official acts”.

At the New York trail in May, Trump became the first former or sitting US president convicted of a crime.

He was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush-money payments over his alleged affair with an adult film star in the run-up to the 2016 election.

“Although we believe defendant's arguments to be without merit, we do not oppose his request for leave to file and his putative request to adjourn sentencing,” Manhattan prosecutor Alvin Bragg said in a court filing published on Tuesday.

Trump, in posts on Truth Social, welcomed the Supreme Court immunity ruling, calling it a “big win for our Constitution and democracy”.

The ruling comes four months before the presidential election, with Trump the expected Republican candidate to take on Democrat Joe Biden.

Facing four criminal cases, Trump has been doing everything in his power to delay the trials until after the election.

Rudy Giuliani disbarred

Meanwhile, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani was disbarred on Tuesday for repeatedly making false statements about the 2020 presidential election.

The disbarment of Mr Giuliani, who led Trump's legal efforts to overturn his election defeat, was handed down by a state appeals court in New York.

Mr Giuliani “repeatedly and intentionally made false statements … concerning the 2020 presidential election, in which he baselessly attacked and undermined the integrity of this country's electoral process”, the court said.

“In so doing, the respondent not only deliberately violated some of the most fundamental tenets of the legal profession, but he also actively contributed to the national strife that has followed the 2020 presidential election, for which he is entirely unrepentant.”