A New York court has found the US president-elect guilty in a “hush money” case.
Donald Trump, the US president-elect, received his sentence in a New York criminal case concerning “hush money” payments, just ten days before his inauguration.
The US Supreme Court rejected Trump’s attempt to halt proceedings on Thursday, citing its own precedent on presidential immunity, enabling Judge Juan Merchan to conduct Friday’s virtual hearing.
“Unconditional discharge is deemed appropriate, and I impose it,” Judge Merchan declared on Friday, concurring with the prosecution’s recommendation.
“This results in the status of convicted felon, pending appeal,” the prosecution argued during the virtual hearing.
“I am innocent of all the Judge’s fabricated, false charges,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday. “This is nothing but the Weaponization of our Justice System against a Political Opponent. It’s called Lawfare, unprecedented in US history, and must never be repeated.”
In 2023, Trump faced charges of misreporting “hush money” payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in 2017. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg successfully elevated what would typically be a misdemeanor to 34 felonies, one for each instance of the payments in Trump’s records. He was convicted on all counts in May.
However, the Supreme Court ruled in July that official presidential actions are immune from prosecution. Trump’s legal team argued that some trial evidence, such as financial disclosures and social media posts, fell under this protection and couldn’t be used to support charges related to his personal conduct.
Judge Merchan dismissed this argument last month and rejected a request to dismiss the case. In a last-minute decision on Thursday, the Supreme Court refused to postpone Friday’s sentencing hearing, with Justices John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett joining the court’s liberal justices in a 5-4 decision.
Trump has consistently claimed that Bragg acted on behalf of President Joe Biden, who withdrew from the presidential race in July in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump has also criticized Judge Merchan, labeling him “conflicted” due to his daughter’s involvement in Harris’ campaign.
In November, Trump secured both the popular vote and Electoral College victory over Harris. His inauguration as the 47th US president is scheduled for January 20.
Bragg argued that payments to Cohen constituted improper campaign spending in the 2016 election, where Trump defeated Hillary Clinton. Cohen allegedly paid Daniels $130,000 to remain silent about an alleged affair with Trump years earlier.