President-elect Donald Trump confronted sentencing Friday for his New York hush cash conviction after the nation’s highest court docket refused to intervene.
The sentencing was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET in New York legal court docket, with Trump attending remotely.
This is the most recent from the Friday morning sentencing:
Trump calls the sentencing a ‘despicable event’ on Fact Social
“Today’s event was a despicable charade, and now that it is over, we will appeal this Hoax, which has no merit, and restore the trust of Americans in our once great System of Justice,” he wrote in a prolonged submit on his social media platform after the sentencing.
Exterior the courthouse after the sentencing
Some described the scene as a reunion of types, an opportunity to meet up with others who’d attended demonstrations through the trial whereas celebrating each the election victory and the result of the case.
Trump’s demeanor because the sentence was handed down
As Choose Merchan delivered the sentence, Trump sat upright, lips pursed, frowning barely. He tilted his head to the facet because the choose wished him “godspeed in your second term in office.”
Choose sentences Trump in hush cash case however declines to impose any punishment
President-elect Donald Trump was formally sentenced Friday in his hush cash case, however the choose declined to impose any punishment. The end result cements Trump’s conviction whereas liberating him to return to the White Home unencumbered by the specter of a jail time period or a positive.
Trump’s sentence of an unconditional discharge caps a norm-smashing case that noticed the previous and future president charged with 34 felonies, placed on trial for nearly two months and convicted on each depend. But, the authorized detour — and sordid particulars aired in court docket of a plot to bury affair allegations — didn’t damage him with voters, who elected him to a second time period.
Manhattan Choose Juan M. Merchan may have sentenced the 78-year-old Republican to as much as 4 years in jail. As an alternative, he selected a sentence that sidestepped thorny constitutional points by successfully ending the case however assured that Trump will grow to be the primary particular person convicted of a felony to imagine the presidency.
Choose Merchan begins talking
Merchan says a choose should contemplate the info of the case in addition to aggravating and mitigating circumstances.
“Never before has this court been presented with such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances,” he mentioned.
Trump says: ‘I’m completely harmless. I did nothing mistaken’
He argued that voters noticed what occurred on this courtroom and, like him, thought it was a shame and supported him overwhelmingly within the election.
Addressing the court docket, Trump says there was no crime
“It’s been a political witch hunt,” he mentioned. “It was done to damage my reputation so that I would lose the election, and obviously, that didn’t work.”
Trump speaks in court docket
“This has been a very terrible experience. I think it has been a tremendous set back for New York and the New York court system,” he mentioned.
Trump lawyer Todd Blanche begins talking with Trump by his facet
“I very, very much disagree with much of what the government just said about this case, about the legitimacy of what happened in this courtroom during this trial, and about President Trump’s conduct fighting this case,” Blanche mentioned.
Steinglass notes Trump’s contempt findings on this case and others
“As this court has noted, the defendant’s conduct constitutes a ‘direct attack on the rule of law itself,’” Steinglass mentioned.
He additionally famous Trump’s threats to retaliate towards individuals who have wronged him in his authorized issues, which Steinglass mentioned is meant to have a chilling impact.
Steinglass mentioned the creator of the pre-sentence report, a probation officer who interviewed Trump, notes Trump sees himself as above the regulation.
Regardless of all that, Steinglass mentioned an unconditional discharge is the “most practical sentence prior to his inauguration.”
Assistant District Legal professional Joshua Steinglass begins talking on behalf of the prosecution
He notes the conviction and critiques the sentencing choices embrace as much as 4 years in jail, however different cures as properly.
Steinglass says the prosecution recommends unconditional discharge based mostly on circumstances together with Trump’s impending return to the White Home.
Steinglass says prosecutors are OK with the potential no-penalty sentence. He cites “all the circumstances of this case, its unique posture and the defendant’s status as president-elect.”
“The verdict in this case was unanimous and decisive and it must be respected,” he mentioned.
As prosecutors started their remarks, Trump shook his head, eyes darting across the display. The digicam view is framed tightly on him and Blanche, providing courtroom spectators a a lot nearer view of Trump’s expression than through the trial.
Trump legal professional Emil Bove says Trump is showing by way of Groups
“He’s co-located with my partner, Todd Blanche,” he mentioned.
Trump is in Florida, Blanche confirmed.
Trump seems in court docket by way of a video feed
He’s sporting a crimson tie with white or gold skinny diagonal stripes. Trump seems stoic and reserved as he waits.
An legal professional sits to Trump’s proper, in entrance of a backdrop of American flags. American flag pins on each males’s swimsuit jackets.
Exterior the courthouse forward of the sentencing
A handful of protesters had gathered in entrance of the Manhattan federal courthouse Friday morning.
Some carried indicators studying “DESERVES THE MAXIMUM SENTENCE” and “34 FELONY CONVICTIONS.”
In the meantime, at a park throughout the road, supporters unfurled an enormous flag studying “TRUMP WON.”
Why did Choose Merchan determine to go forward with Trump’s sentencing?
In an 18-page authorized opinion, Merchan laid out his reasoning for ruling that the president-elect ought to be sentenced later this month for the crime of falsifying enterprise information.
His most vital discovering was that Trump’s conviction shouldn’t be thrown out just because he was elected president.
However the choose additionally signaled that he supposed to impose a sentence of “unconditional discharge,” which suggests Trump wouldn’t face any punishment past having the conviction on his authorized file.
The scene contained in the courtroom earlier than sentencing
4 huge TV screens are mounted on the partitions: one on both facet of the bench the place the choose will sit and one every hanging from the left and proper facet, parallel with the tables the place the protection and prosecution will sit.
Trump is anticipated to look by video, and he has earlier than
Though Trump was in court docket for day-after-day of the trial, the choose mentioned the president-elect may attend the sentencing by way of video if he selected. He’s anticipated to do this, and it’s not a primary within the case.
He appeared remotely for a pretrial listening to in Could 2023.
Contained in the courtroom the second Trump was convicted
On Could 30, 2024, Trump grew to become the primary former American president to be convicted of felony crimes.
Trump sat stone-faced whereas the decision was learn as cheering from the road beneath might be heard within the hallway on the courthouse’s fifteenth ground the place the choice was revealed after greater than 9 hours of deliberations.
Who testified, and what did they are saying?
Trump’s trial stretched over seven weeks, with 22 witnesses testifying, together with porn actor Stormy Daniels, Trump’s fixer turned foe Michael Cohen, former grocery store tabloid writer David Pecker and White Home insiders.
Prosecutors referred to as 20 witnesses. The protection referred to as simply two. Trump determined to not testify on his personal behalf. Right here’s a glance again at what a few of the key witnesses needed to say.
Remind me once more, what was this case about?
Trump was convicted final Could of 34 counts of falsifying enterprise information, making him the primary former American president to be convicted of felony crimes.
The jury discovered that he falsified information stored by his firm to cover the aim of reimbursements to his then-lawyer Michael Cohen, who had made a $130,000 cost to porn actor Stormy Daniels throughout Trump’s 2016 marketing campaign to silence her declare of an extramarital sexual encounter. Trump denies that they had intercourse.
What occurred to Trump’s different instances?
The hush cash case was the one certainly one of Trump’s 4 legal indictments to go to trial.
Since his Nov. 5 election, particular counsel Jack Smith ended his two federal instances. One pertained to Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss; the opposite alleged he hoarded labeled paperwork at his Mar-a-Lago property.
A separate, state-level election interference case in Georgia is in limbo after an appeals court docket eliminated prosecutor Fani Willis from the case.
Is the sentencing streaming anyplace?
No. New York state trial-level courts hardly ever, if ever, livestream their proceedings. Appeals courts typically do.
A take a look at the choose who’s sentencing Trump
Choose Juan M. Merchan has presided over Manhattan felony instances since 2009, after three years in household court docket. Earlier than that, he was a Manhattan prosecutor and a lawyer for New York state.
Trump has pointed to components together with Merchan’s whole of $35 in 2020 donations to Democrats – together with President Joe Biden – to argue that the choose is biased and may step away from the case.
