Trump sentencing in hush-money case delayed until after US election

New York judge pushes back sentencing decision while weighing immunity for former US president

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will not be sentenced for his hush-money payment conviction until November 26. AFP

A judge agreed on Friday to postpone the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s sentencing following his May conviction in a hush-money case until after the November election. The decision comes as the race for the White House heats up, and grants the former president a reprieve as he navigates the aftermath of his criminal conviction and the home stretch of the presidential campaign.

Mr Trump was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records in a case that focused on hush-money payments made to an adult film star to cover up an alleged affair. Manhattan Judge Juan M Merchan, who is also weighing a defence request to overturn the verdict on immunity grounds, delayed Mr Trump’s sentencing until November 26, several weeks after the final votes will be cast in the election.

It had been scheduled for September 18, about seven weeks before election day. Mr Trump is the first US president to be found guilty of a crime.

Falsifying business records is punishable by up to four years in prison, though fines or probation have been more common for others convicted of the crime in the past.

Mr Trump’s lawyers pushed for the delay on several fronts, petitioning the judge and asking a federal court to intervene. They argued that punishing the former president in the thick of his campaign to retake the White House would amount to election interference.

Mr Trump’s lawyers argued that delaying his sentencing until after the election would also allow him time to consider his next steps after Mr Merchan rules on the defence’s request to reverse his conviction and dismiss the case following the July ruling from the US Supreme Court on presidential immunity.

In his order issued on Friday, the Associated Press reported that Mr Merchan delayed a decision on that matter until November 12. On Tuesday a federal judge also rejected Mr Trump’s request to have the US District Court in Manhattan take over the case from Mr Merchan’s state court.

Had they been successful, Mr Trump’s lawyers said they would have then sought to have the verdict overturned and the case dismissed on immunity grounds. Mr Trump is appealing the federal court ruling.

If he wins the White House in November, Mr Trump could potentially order the Department of Justice to drop federal election interference charges against him, Reuters reported. He would not have the authority to end the New York state case or an election interference case in Georgia.