President-elect Trump was sentenced to “unconditional discharge” by Judge Juan Merchan Friday morning after he was declared guilty on charges of falsifying business records stemming from a probe by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
While Trump’s status as a convicted felon is maintained, this essentially means the case is over, with no jail time given.
Trump says he is “totally innocent” and did “nothing wrong.”
Friday, Jan. 10 officially marks the day when the first ex-president was sentenced to a criminal conviction in American history.
The President-elect told the judge that “This has been a very terrible experience” and a “setback” for New York’s legal system, reports USA Today.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass complained that Trump has “caused enduring damage to public perception of the criminal justice system and has placed officers of the court in harm’s way,” according to CBS News.
This comes after the New York Court of Appeals denied President-elect Donald Trump’s request to delay his sentencing on Thursday, with Merchan maintaining the previously scheduled sentencing date of Jan. 10.
Trump was previously convicted on May 30 for 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to apparently cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2024 election.
Merchan wished Trump “Godspeed” in his second presidential term, per USA Today.
Many consider the trial to have been an absolute sham.
Constitutional Law Professor Jonathan Turley, for instance, said on Fox News: “The fact is that this is NOT a criminal case, in my view, because there is NO underlying crime. Bragg took a dead misdemeanor, zapped it back into life as this pile of felonies… and he was only able to do that by this enabling judge.”
https://x.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1877733743487562230
This is a breaking story and will be updated.