Unconditional dismissal granted in NY hush money case

President-elect Donald Trump was acquitted on Friday in a New York criminal money laundering case, 10 days before taking office for a second term in the White House.

Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan sentenced Trump to an “unconditional discharge,” meaning no jail time, probation or fines.

But the sentence will formally make Trump the first criminal conviction to occupy the Oval Office.

“It’s been a very awesome experience,” said Trump, who attended the hearing remotely, before receiving the sentence.

“This has been a political witch-hunt,” he said, adding that the lawsuit was filed “to damage my reputation so that I would lose the election.”

A jury in May found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 payment by his then-personal attorney to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election. Daniels was paid to remain silent about allegations that she once had sex with Trump a decade earlier, allegations the president-elect has denied.

According to Merchan, unconditional impeachment was the only legal punishment that could be given without impeachment of the president.

The protection of that office “is a factor that surpasses all others”, said Merchan.

“Donald Trump, an ordinary citizen, criminal defendant Donald Trump, would not be entitled to such extensive protections,” he said.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass stated at the beginning of the hearing that the charges against Trump carry a sentence of four years in prison.

But “The People recommend a sentence of unconditional release,” Steinglass said.

“We have to respect the position of the presidency, and we have to take into account that this defendant will take the position of president in 10 days”, he explained.

But Trump also criticized prosecutors for their relentless attacks on the justice system throughout the case, saying the president-elect had “done lasting damage to the public’s perception of the criminal justice system.”

Trump, wearing a red-striped tie and appearing on a monitor sitting in front of an American flag, frowned and looked bored at Steinglass’s remarks.

Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche responded that he disagreed with prosecutors about the validity of the case and Trump’s conduct.

“It’s a sad day for President Trump and his family and his friends, but it’s also … a sad day for this country,” said Blanch, who Trump has tapped to serve as U.S. attorney general in the next administration.

Despite his complaint in court, Trump claimed victory on social media after the hearing.

“Radical Democrats have lost another pathetic and un-American witch hunt,” Trump wrote Social Truth. His post said the non-custodial sentence proved the case lacked merit, although Merchan made it clear he had given his unconditional discharge because Trump will soon be president.

Thursday’s hearing came a day after Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, attended former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral in Washington. The Trumps sat down with all the other living former presidents.

The US Supreme Court on Thursday night lifted the final legal hurdle to Trump’s sentencing, denying a request to block proceedings in the case.

The decision was close — 5 to 4 — with Trump appointee Amy Coney Barrett joining conservative Chief Justice John Roberts and three liberal justices in handing down the majority decision.

The ruling stated that Trump’s sentence would place a “relatively insubstantial” burden on his presidential duties, as he was expected to receive a sentence that lacks actual punishment, and that he still has the right to appeal because Merchan properly admitted some evidence. the trial

Trump’s lawyers have argued that he is immune from criminal charges, but courts have repeatedly rejected that claim when it comes to the issue of silence, because he was not yet president when the behavior at the beginning of the case occurred.