Trump鈥檚 hush money sentencing is postponed indefinitely, judge says
The judge overseeing Donald Trump鈥檚 criminal hush money trial has adjourned his sentencing, which was set for next week.
Judge Juan Merchan also agreed to hold off on issuing his decision on presidential immunity until after he reviews the parties鈥� filings.
Merchan granted Trump鈥檚 request to file a motion to dismiss the case, ordering his legal team to submit their papers by Dec. 2, and prosecutors have a week to respond. Trump鈥檚 team wanted to have until Dec. 20 to file their paperwork.
The judge did not set a new sentencing date or make any further statements about the delay. Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Trump, called Mechan鈥檚 decision a 鈥渄ecisive win鈥� for the president-elect.
Trump鈥檚 legal and political fates have seen an abrupt turnaround a year after he was facing four separate indictments. In light of his election victory earlier this month, Trump鈥檚 two federal cases are winding down, while the Georgia state case has long been dormant and the New York case is poised to end indefinitely without a sentence.
In a earlier this month, the district attorney鈥檚 office also acknowledged that Trump is not likely to be sentenced 鈥渦ntil after the end of Defendant鈥檚 upcoming presidential term.鈥� Although District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, has said Trump鈥檚 felony conviction should stand, a source close to the district attorney鈥檚 office said it is open to a four-year pause of the case.
Trump鈥檚 lawyers have argued his conviction should be tossed both because of the presidential immunity decision and his return to the White House.
Trump was convicted in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records over payments made to his then-lawyer Michael Cohen to reimburse a $130,000 hush money payment made to adult-film star Stormy Daniels to keep her from speaking out about an alleged affair before the 2016 election. Trump has denied the affair.
His sentencing, originally scheduled for July, was delayed twice after the Supreme Court鈥檚 immunity decision prompted Trump鈥檚 lawyers to file a motion to vacate the conviction. That effort, along with other tactics, including seeking to move the case into federal court, further delayed the proceedings and prompted Merchan to push the sentencing decision and a ruling on immunity until after the November election.
