President-elect Donald Trump appears remotely at his sentencing hearing before New York State Judge Juan Marchan with his attorney Todd Blanche (left) at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on January 10, 2025. President of the United States.
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President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced Friday without penalty in a criminal hush money case in New York, 10 days before he was sworn into the White House for a second term.
Manhattan Judge Juan Marchan sentenced President Trump to “unconditional release” without prison, probation or fines.
However, the latest ruling makes Trump the first criminal convict to officially occupy the Oval Office.
“This is a very terrible experience,” Trump, who attended the hearing remotely, said before being sentenced.
“This is a political witch hunt,” he said, claiming the lawsuit was filed “with the purpose of tarnishing my reputation in order to lose the election.”
A jury in May found President Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush-money payment his then-personal lawyer paid to porn star Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. was lowered. Daniels claims she was paid a price for staying silent about allegations that she once had sex with Trump a decade ago, which the president-elect denies.
Marchand said unconditional dismissal is the only legal sentence that can be handed down without compromising the president’s duties.
Protecting that office “is a factor that trumps everything else,” Marchan said.
“Neither Donald Trump as a private citizen nor Donald Trump as a criminal defendant would be entitled to such substantial protections,” he said.
US President-elect Donald Trump appears remotely at his sentencing hearing before New York State Judge Juan Marchan at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on January 10, 2025.
Gina Moon | Getty Images
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass pointed out at the beginning of the hearing that each of the charges against Trump carries a maximum penalty of time in state prison.
However, “the public recommends a sentence of unconditional release,” Steinglass said.
“We must respect the office of the president and be mindful of the fact that this defendant will be inaugurated as president in 10 days,” he explained.
But prosecutors also criticized President-elect Trump’s persistent attacks on the justice system throughout the case, saying he had “done lasting damage to the public’s perception of the criminal justice system.”
Mr. Trump, who appeared on a monitor wearing a red-striped tie and seated in front of an American flag, frowned and looked bored as Mr. Steinglass spoke.
New York State Judge Juan Marchand appears remotely with his attorney Todd Blanche at a sentencing hearing in a criminal case in which he was convicted of paying hush money to a porn star as a prosecutor in 2024. The verdict was passed on the next US president, Donald Trump. This courtroom sketch depicts Joshua Steinglass listening in New York Criminal Court on January 10, 2025 in Manhattan, New York City, USA.
Jane Rosenberg Reuter
Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, responded by saying he disagreed with prosecutors about the legitimacy of the incident and Trump’s conduct.
“This is a sad day for President Trump and his family and friends, but it’s also a sad day for this country,” said Branch, who was nominated by President Trump to be the next deputy attorney general of the United States.
Despite the court challenge, Trump declared victory on social media after the hearing.
“The Radical Democratic Party has lost yet another pathetic, un-American witch hunt,” Trump wrote. society of truth. In his post, he argued that the no-punitive verdict proved the lawsuit was worthless, even though Marchan made it clear that Trump was fired without condition because he will soon become president.
Thursday’s hearing came a day after President Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral in Washington. The Trumps were seated with all other living former presidents.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday night removed the final legal barrier to Trump’s sentencing, denying his request to block the proceedings.
The ruling was a narrow 5-4, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump appointee, joining fellow conservative Chief Justice John Roberts and three liberal justices in issuing the majority decision.
The ruling said the ruling would impose a “relatively minor” burden on Trump’s presidential responsibilities because Trump is expected to receive a sentence without actual punishment, and Marchand said It noted that the right to appeal claims that certain evidence was improperly admitted in court remains. Trial.
Trump’s lawyers have argued that Trump is immune from criminal prosecution, but the court ruled that the hush money case was relevant because he was not yet president when the first act in the case took place. It has repeatedly rejected that claim.
