The sentencing for Donald Trump’s conviction in his hush-money trial has been indefinitely canceled.
Judge Juan Merchan of the Supreme Court of the State of New York has granted Trump’s application for a stay of sentencing. This means that the president-elect will not have to face justice for his criminal conviction on 34 felony counts anytime soon.
Trump has been advocating for the dismissal of the entire case following the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity. This recent decision seems to be a move towards that direction.
However, it is worth noting that Merchan has not addressed the possibility of dismissing his felony convictions. It appears that the Manhattan district attorney’s office is biding their time, waiting for the president-elect’s four-year term to end before revisiting the issue of sentencing.
In a historic verdict, former President Donald Trump was found guilty in May for his involvement in making $130,000 hush-money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The payments were made through his former fixer, Michael Cohen, to conceal their affair prior to the 2016 election. This marked a significant moment as it was the first and only time a former president faced successful criminal charges.
Trump once faced three other indictments, including one for election interference in Georgia, a federal election interference case related to January 6, and mishandling of classified documents. However, these indictments are currently irrelevant until he completes his second term as president. His strategy to delay the cases and focus on winning the election proved to be almost flawless.