Just minutes after Judge Juan Merchan imposed an &#8220;unconditional discharge&#8221; sentence on President-elect Donald Trump on Friday, Trump blasted Democrats for the &#8220;pathetic, unAmerican Witch Hunt.&#8221;
While the unconditional discharge sentence carries no further punishments, it cements Trump&#8217;s status as a felon days before he is sworn in for his second term in the White House. Before imposing the sentence, Judge Merchan said the court had never seen such a “unique and remarkable set of circumstances,” adding that Trump is only protected from a prison sentence because the office of president shields him. In a Truth Social <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113804764963563444" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a>, Trump argued that the unconditional discharge &#8220;proves that, as all Legal Scholars and Experts have said, THERE IS NO CASE, THERE WAS NEVER A CASE.&#8221;
&#8220;The Radical Democrats have lost another pathetic, unAmerican Witch Hunt,&#8221; Trump wrote. &#8220;After spending tens of millions of dollars, wasting over 6 years of obsessive work that should have been spent on protecting New Yorkers from violent, rampant crime that is destroying the City and State, coordinating with the Biden/Harris Department of Injustice in lawless Weaponization, and bringing completely baseless, illegal, and fake charges against your 45th and 47th President, ME, I was given an UNCONDITIONAL DISCHARGE.&#8221;
Trump added that &#8220;this whole Scam fully deserves to be DISMISSED&#8221; and vowed to appeal the case.
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&#8220;The real Jury, the American People, have spoken, by Re-Electing me with an overwhelming MANDATE in one of the most consequential Elections in History,&#8221; he said. &#8220;As the American People have seen, this “case” had no crime, no damages, no proof, no facts, no Law, only a highly conflicted Judge, a star witness who is a disbarred, disgraced, serial perjurer, and criminal Election Interference.&#8221;
Trump fought to delay the sentencing hearing, but in a 5-4 decision on Thursday, the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/scotus-rejects-trumps-request-to-pause-sentencing-in-hush-money-case?topStoryPosition=5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rejected</a> Trump&#8217;s request to pause it. The majority of the court did not rule on the merits of Trump’s argument but said that the question could be decided through an appeal. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett sided with the court’s three liberal justices to reject Trump’s request.
With Judge Merchan&#8217;s sentence officially imposed, Trump will enter the White House as the first president in U.S. history convicted of a felony.

Donald Trump

Dems ‘Lost’ Another ‘Witch Hunt’: Trump Responds To Hush Money Sentencing

Dems 'Lost' Another 'Witch Hunt': Trump Responds To Hush Money Sentencing

Courts

Democrats

Juan Merchan

New York

Politics

President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced to an unconditional discharge by Judge Juan Merchan on Friday, officially cementing his status as a felon without handing down any other punishment days before he is sworn into office for his second term.
The president-elect appeared virtually from his Florida Mar-a-Lago estate for the New York sentencing hearing and visibly shook his head as Merchan went over the conviction, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/01/10/nyregion/trump-hush-money-sentencing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. During the hearing, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass argued that Trump has &#8220;disdain&#8221; for the rule of law but said that the prosecution agrees with the sentence of unconditional discharge.
Trump also spoke during the hearing, marking the first time he has addressed the court during the trial.
“This has been a very terrible experience. I think it’s been a tremendous setback&#8221; for New York, he said, according to the Times. The president-elect pointed to his election victory, arguing that the American people followed the hush money trial and still elected him president.
Trump concluded, “I was treated very, very unfairly, and I thank you very much.”
Trump&#8217;s attorney Todd Blanche, who was nominated by the president-elect for deputy attorney general, blasted the trial and conviction, saying the “majority of the American people” don&#8217;t believe the case has merits. Blanche said the only appropriate sentence — if there must be one — is an unconditional discharge.
Before imposing the sentence, Judge Merchan said the court had never seen such a “unique and remarkable set of circumstances” but emphasized that while Trump has been elected president twice, he is still a citizen and subject to the law. Merchan said that the office of the president shields “Donald Trump the ordinary citizen, Donald Trump the criminal defendant” from the punishment required by the guilty verdict.
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Trump put up a fight to delay the sentencing as he prepares to take the presidency in just 10 days, and the president-elect still has a path to appeal his conviction in the hush money case. In a 5-4 decision on Thursday, the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/scotus-rejects-trumps-request-to-pause-sentencing-in-hush-money-case?topStoryPosition=5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rejected</a> Trump&#8217;s request to pause the sentencing. The majority of the court did not rule on the merits of Trump’s argument but said that the question could be decided through an appeal. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett sided with the court’s three liberal justices to reject Trump’s request.
Trump was found guilty on all charges in the hush money case last May. He was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to hide payments that were allegedly sent to porn actress Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence on an alleged extramarital affair. Trump has denied the charges and said that the trial was politically motivated, hampering his 2024 presidential campaign.
Following his election victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in November, the prosecution&#8217;s attempt to put Trump behind bars hit a brick wall. Trump faced four years in prison after his conviction, but his election victory made imprisonment an impossibility.

Trump Sentenced To An ‘Unconditional Discharge’ In Hush Money Trial

Trump Sentenced To An Unconditional Discharge In Hush Money Trial

President-elect Donald Trump&#8217;s request to delay the January 10 sentencing hearing in his hush-money trial was denied by a New York appeals court judge on Tuesday.
Trump&#8217;s legal team filed a 502-page lawsuit with a New York appeals court to delay the sentencing hearing in his hush-money trial, which is scheduled for this Friday, the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/01/07/us-news/trump-files-appeal-in-effort-to-stop-sentencing-in-manhattan-hush-money-case/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Hours later, Judge Ellen Gesmer, who serves on New York&#8217;s midlevel appeals court, rejected Trump&#8217;s petition. The appeals court decision comes after Judge Juan Merchan <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-merchan-denies-trumps-request-to-delay-hush-money-sentencing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">denied</a> Trump&#8217;s request to delay the sentencing hearing, which is scheduled to take place just 10 days before Trump is sworn into office.
In their legal filing, Trump&#8217;s team argued that the jury&#8217;s verdict in the hush-money trial was &#8220;erroneous&#8221; because they were presented with evidence related to Trump&#8217;s official acts as president. Trump&#8217;s lawyers also argued that his &#8220;undisputed absolute immunity&#8221; extends to his time as president-elect, ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-files-500-page-lawsuit-judge-manhattan-da/story?id=117418143" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Gesmer questioned Trump&#8217;s lawyers about whether presidential immunity extends to a president-elect. Trump&#8217;s lawyer, Todd Blanche, replied that there isn&#8217;t support for the presidential immunity extending to presidents-elect, adding, &#8220;There has never been a case like this before.&#8221;
Steven Wu of the Manhattan District Attorney&#8217;s Office argued, &#8220;There is a compelling public interest in seeing this process come to an end.&#8221;
&#8220;If sentencing is to happen at all, now is the best time for it to happen,&#8221; Wu said.
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Trump can still take his request to delay the sentencing before the court&#8217;s full panel as he appeals his conviction, The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5071977-appeals-court-trump-sentencing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Trump has requested a sentencing hearing date of January 27, a week after he is sworn into office. By then, the case is expected to be frozen since Trump will be the sitting president.
In their petition to the appeals court, Trump&#8217;s lawyers wrote, “Justice Merchan is without authority under the law to proceed to sentencing while President Trump exercises his federal constitutional right to challenge these rulings.”
Judge Merchan has signaled that he will issue a sentence of an “unconditional discharge,” meaning Trump would not face any punishment.
Trump was found guilty on all charges in the hush money case last May. He was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to hide payments that were allegedly sent to porn actress Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence on an alleged extramarital affair. Trump has denied the charges and said that the trial was politically motivated.

Appeals Court Judge Denies Trump’s Request To Delay Jan. 10 Sentencing Hearing

Appeals Court Judge Denies Trump's Request To Stop Jan. 10 Sentencing Hearing

Inauguration

President-elect Donald Trump&#8217;s request to delay sentencing in his hush money trial was denied by Judge Juan Merchan on Monday, and Trump is still set to appear for his sentencing hearing on Friday — just 10 days before the inauguration.
Trump&#8217;s lawyers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-lawyers-ask-court-to-delay-sentencing-in-hush-money-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed a motion</a> earlier on Monday to delay the sentencing. In response to the filing, Merchan wrote, &#8220;Defendant&#8217;s motion for a stay of these proceedings, including the sentencing hearing scheduled for January 10, 2025, is hereby DENIED,&#8221; Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/judge-merchan-denies-trumps-request-delay-sentencing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The president-elect&#8217;s legal team also asked a New York appeals court to reverse Merchan&#8217;s ruling. Trump can also still ask an appeals court to delay the sentencing, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-sentencing-e20933f9418bd378925e5f9e75f28485" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associated Press</a>.
Steven Cheung, the incoming White House communications director, said earlier on Monday that the sentencing is &#8220;unlawful,&#8221; adding, &#8220;The Supreme Court’s historic decision on Immunity, the state constitution of New York, and other established legal precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be immediately dismissed.&#8221;
Last week, Merchan <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-judge-orders-that-trump-be-sentenced-in-hush-money-case-before-inauguration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">denied</a> Trump&#8217;s motion to vacate the guilty verdict in the hush money case against him and ordered Trump to appear for his sentencing. Trump&#8217;s lawyers said that if the sentencing goes forward, the president-elect will appear virtually. Merchan suggested that he would issue a sentence of an &#8220;unconditional discharge,&#8221; meaning Trump would not face any punishment, according to Fox News.
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Trump was found guilty on all charges in the hush money case last May. He was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to hide payments that were allegedly sent to porn actress Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence on an alleged extramarital affair. Trump denied the charges and said that the trial was politically motivated.
On Saturday, Trump ripped Judge Merchan, writing on Truth Social, “I never falsified business records. It is a fake, made up charge by a corrupt judge who is just doing the work of the Biden/Harris Injustice Department, an attack on their political opponent, ME! He created a case where there was none. Keeps a ‘gag order’ on me so that I can’t talk about how crooked he is. The Fake News knows all about it, but they refuse to talk.”

Judge Merchan Denies Trump’s Request To Delay Hush Money Sentencing

Judge Merchan Denies Trump's Request To Delay Hush Money Sentencing

Court

On Monday, President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers asked a New York appeals court to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-sentencing-e20933f9418bd378925e5f9e75f28485" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reverse a judge’s ruling</a> that would schedule Trump’s sentencing in the hush money case on Friday. They also said they would appeal Judge Juan Merchan&#8217;s decision not to dismiss the case on the grounds of presidential immunity.
If the sentencing is delayed beyond January 20, the day of Trump’s inauguration, he would be immune from the criminal proceedings.
The attorneys asked Merchan to inform them by Monday afternoon whether he would “allow sufficient time for President Trump to seek an emergency appellate review.” Merchan acknowledged that if the sentencing were postponed beyond the inauguration, sentencing after he leaves office in 2029 “may become the only viable option.” He said he intended to sentence Trump to an “unconditional discharge,” which would entail closing the case without jail time, a fine, or probation.
“Today, President Trump’s legal team moved to stop the unlawful sentencing in the Manhattan D.A.’s Witch Hunt,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung stated. “The Supreme Court’s historic decision on Immunity, the state constitution of New York, and other established legal precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be immediately dismissed.”
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Judge Merchan ruled last week that Trump’s conviction in the case in which his former attorney, Michael Cohen, made a payment of $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, should not be thrown out of court because he had been elected president.
“The Constitution dictates that only a President, after taking the oath of office, has the authority of the Chief Executive, a President-elect does not. Accordingly, a President-elect is not permitted to avail himself of the protections afforded to the individual occupying that Office. &#8230; Binding precedent does not provide that an individual, upon becoming President, can retroactively dismiss or vacate prior criminal acts nor does it grant blanket Presidential-elect immunity,” Merchan wrote.
“Any claim Defendant may have that circumstances have changed as a result of Defendant’s victory in the Presidential election, while convenient, is disingenuous,” he <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-new-york-criminal-case-excerpts-59e72847cd80e5f0c734b02fa0426e17" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continued</a>. “Defendant has always pronounced, since the inception of this case, confidence and indeed the expectation that he would prevail in the 2024 Election — confidence that has proven well-founded. That he would become the ‘President-elect’ and be required to assume all the responsibilities that come with the transition were entirely anticipated. Thus, it was fair for this Court to trust that his request to adjourn sentencing until after the election carried with it the implied consent that he would face sentence during the window between the election and the taking of the oath of office.”
George Washington University Law School professor Jonathan Turley slammed Merchan&#8217;s decisions against Trump, saying they were the “final cathartic act for lawfare warriors.”

Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump Campaigns In Pennsylvania

Trump’s Lawyers Ask Court To Delay Sentencing in Hush Money Case

Stormy Daniels

President-elect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> slammed Judge Juan M. Merchan, who donated money to President Joe Biden, in a post on Saturday for ordering him to report for sentencing next week in the highly controversial hush-money case.
&#8220;I never falsified business records. It is a fake, made up charge by a corrupt judge who is just doing the work of the Biden/Harris Injustice Department, an attack on their political opponent, ME!&#8221; Trump wrote on social media. &#8220;He created a case where there was none. Keeps a &#8216;gag order&#8217; on me so that I can’t talk about how crooked he is. The Fake News knows all about it, but they refuse to talk.&#8221;
Merchan ordered Trump to report for sentencing on the January 10th, 10 days before Trump is inaugurated, but signaled that president-elect would not be incarcerated.
“While this Court as a matter of law must not make any determination on sentencing prior to giving the parties and Defendants opportunity to be heard, it seems proper at this juncture to make known the Court’s inclination to not impose any sentence of incarceration, a sentence authorized by the conviction but one the People concede they no longer view as a practicable recommendation,” Merchan wrote in his ruling.
Trump called Merchan &#8220;the most conflicted judge in New York State history.&#8221;
&#8220;The accountant testified, with total corroboration, that the records were perfect &amp; totally above board,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;A legal expense was called, on the books, a legal expense. There was nothing else it could have been called. This was the so-called falsifying of records. I was hiding nothing, everything was out in the open for all to see. Every legal scholar of note said there IS NO CASE AGAINST ME. The judge should be disbarred!&#8221;
&#8220;This is why people, and companies, are FLEEING New York &#8211; A corrupt court system,&#8221; Trump continued. &#8220;In another crooked New York case, another corrupt Judge (overturned 5 times on my case alone, &amp; the most overturned judge in New York!) valued Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, at $18,000,000, when it is worth 50 to 100 times that amount….And then we have, also in New York, the woman I never met (celebrity photo lines from 30 years ago don’t count!), who was awarded almost $100,000,000. A totally out of control, Trump hating judge, presided. The Biden/Harris DOJ was involved, directly or indirectly, in each of these cases. I won against Deranged Jack Smith!&#8221;

US-VOTE-POLITICS-TRUMP

Trump Rips Judge Merchan Ahead Of Sentencing: ‘Most Conflicted Judge’ In New York History

Prominent legal scholar and George Washington University Law School professor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jonathan-turley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jonathan Turley</a> on Friday criticized Judge Juan Merchan&#8217;s recent decisions in the hush-money case against President-elect Donald Trump as the &#8220;final cathartic act for lawfare warriors.&#8221;
As highlighted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-judge-orders-that-trump-be-sentenced-in-hush-money-case-before-inauguration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a>, Judge Merchan on Friday dismissed a Trump bid to have the hush-money case dismissed due partly to a U.S. Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity. Instead, the Democrat judge assigned Trump&#8217;s sentencing for January 10, ten days before his inauguration, and signaled that he&#8217;ll impose an &#8220;unconditional discharge.&#8221;
Turley explained that the decision effectively provides a &#8220;talking point&#8221; for the anti-Trump media on Inauguration Day &#8212; that Trump&#8217;s a convicted felon &#8212; but it also allows Trump a path to an appeal.
&#8220;Judge Merchan just set Trump for a sentencing shortly before his inauguration. As some of us predicted, he is indicating that he will impose an unconditional discharge without jail or probation,&#8221; Turley explained on X. &#8220;The sentence will finalize the case and allow for an appeal.&#8221;
However, Turley noted, the decision also labels Trump &#8220;a convicted felon just before he is sworn into office,&#8221; which the law professor said was &#8220;the final cathartic act for lawfare warriors.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8230;The sentence will finalize the case and allow for an appeal. However, it would also label the President-elect a convicted felon just before he is sworn into office. It is the final cathartic act for lawfare warriors&#8230;
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonathanTurley/status/1875293919950582002?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;Merchan will supply the talking point for the inauguration coverage as reporters repeat the mantra of the historic status of Trump being sworn in as a convicted felon,&#8221; Turley said.
At the same time, Trump &#8220;will also finally be able to see an appeal of his case,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;While there are low expectations for the New York court system, the sentencing will allow the full array of alleged errors by Merchan to be placed before appellate judges.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8230;we will also finally be able to see an appeal of his case. While there are low expectations for the New York court system, the sentencing will allow the full array of alleged errors by Merchan to be placed before appellate judges.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonathanTurley/status/1875294537368924391?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
“While this Court as a matter of law must not make any determination on sentencing prior to giving the parties and Defendants opportunity to be heard, it seems proper at this juncture to make known the Court’s inclination to not impose any sentence of incarceration, a sentence authorized by the conviction but one the People concede they no longer view as a practicable recommendation,” Judge Merchan wrote in his ruling.
Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/judge-orders-trump-sentenced-hush-money-case-jan-10-says-wont-incarcer-rcna186189" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reacted</a> to the decision on Friday, calling it &#8220;a direct violation of the Supreme Court’s Immunity decision and other longstanding jurisprudence. This lawless case should have never been brought and the Constitution demands that it be immediately dismissed.&#8221;
&#8220;There should be no sentencing, and President Trump will continue fighting against these hoaxes until they are all dead,” Cheung added.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fani-willis-disqualified-from-trump-election-case-what-does-that-mean-for-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fani Willis Disqualified From Trump Election Case. What Does That Mean For Trump?</a>

Legal Scholar Rips Judge Merchan’s Sentencing Decision, Explains What It Means For Trump

Jonathan Turley

President-elect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> unloaded on Judge Juan Merchan, who donated to President Joe Biden, Friday evening for denying his request to dismiss the highly controversial hush money case in which he was convicted last year in Manhattan.
Merchan <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-judge-orders-that-trump-be-sentenced-in-hush-money-case-before-inauguration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ordered</a> Trump to appear for sentencing &#8220;in person or virtually&#8221; on January 10, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. — just 10 days before he is sworn in as president — but indicated that he would not be incarcerated.
&#8220;While this Court as a matter of law must not make any determination on sentencing prior to giving the parties and Defendants opportunity to be heard, it seems proper at this juncture to make known the Court’s inclination to not impose any sentence of incarceration, a sentence authorized by the conviction but one the People concede they no longer view as a practicable recommendation,&#8221; Merchan wrote in his ruling.
Trump fired back at the ruling during an interview, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-slams-merchan-democrats-who-just-want-see-can-get-pound-flesh-amid-failed-cases" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a> that &#8220;every major legal pundit, including Andy McCarthy, Jonathan Turley, Gregg Jarrett, and Eli Honig, has stated strongly there was no case, there is no case and this was just a witch hunt.&#8221;
&#8220;The judge is corrupt and I am still under a gag order, I am not allowed to speak about the thing he least wants me to talk about,&#8221; Trump continued, adding that Merchan was &#8220;a totally conflicted judge who is doing the work for the Democrat Party because every other case has failed.&#8221;
Trump said that he did &#8220;absolutely nothing wrong&#8221; in the case, which even many Democrats criticized for the highly controversial legal theory that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg applied in the case to prosecute Trump.
&#8220;This is a political witch hunt by Biden and the DOJ,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;They want to see if they can get a pound of flesh because every case has failed including deranged Jack Smith’s, who is on his way back to the Hague after having lost every case.&#8221;
He added that Merchan was &#8220;the most conflicted judge in the history of jurisprudence.&#8221;
&#8220;There has never been a judge as conflicted as this one,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;There was no case. He created a case out of nothing because he wanted my political opponent to win.&#8221;

Republican Nominee Donald Trump Campaigns For President Across Pennsylvania

Trump Hammers ‘Totally Conflicted’ Democrat Judge Merchan Over Sentencing Order

Judge <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/juan-merchan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Juan M. Merchan</a>, who donated money to President Joe Biden, ordered President-elect Donald Trump to appear for sentencing next week in the hush money case, just 10 days before he is set to be inaugurated.
Merchan denied Trump&#8217;s motion to vacate the guilty verdict in the highly controversial case that even many Democrats have said should have never been brought.
He ordered Trump to appear for sentencing &#8220;in person or virtually&#8221; on January 10, 2025, at 9:30 a.m.
The Associated Press reported that Merchan &#8220;indicated [Trump] wouldn’t be jailed.&#8221;
&#8220;While this Court as a matter of law must not make any determination on sentencing prior to giving the parties and Defendants opportunity to be heard, it seems proper at this juncture to make known the Court’s inclination to not impose any sentence of incarceration, a sentence authorized by the conviction but one the People concede they no longer view as a practicable recommendation,&#8221; Merchan wrote in his ruling.
Trump Communications Director Steven Cheung slammed the order in a statement, saying Merchan was &#8220;deeply conflicted&#8221; and that it was &#8220;a direct violation of the Supreme Court&#8217;s Immunity decision and other longstanding jurisprudence.&#8221;
&#8220;This lawless case should have never been brought and the Constitution demands that it be immediately dismissed,&#8221; Cheung said. &#8220;President Trump must be allowed to continue the Presidential Transition process and to execute the vital duties of the presidency, unobstructed by the remains of this or any remnants of the Witch Hunts. There should be no sentencing, and President Trump will continue fighting against these hoaxes until they are all dead.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 Statement from Trump Communications Director <a href="https://twitter.com/StevenCheung?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StevenCheung</a>: <a href="https://t.co/1k8ssL673L">pic.twitter.com/1k8ssL673L</a>
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1875307192271925725?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2025</a></blockquote>

President-Elect Donald Trump Delivers Remarks On New Years Eve At Mar-A-Lago Club

Democrat Judge Orders That Trump Be Sentenced In Hush Money Case Before Inauguration

U.S.

President-elect Donald Trump unloaded on Judge Juan Merchan, criticizing the presiding judge in his New York-based hush money trial after he refused to toss the conviction in the light of the Supreme Court&#8217;s recent decision on presidential immunity.
Trump shared his thoughts in two lengthy posts on his <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113668931932678096" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Truth Social</a> platform, saying that the judge&#8217;s decision amounted to a violation of the U.S. Constitution and hinting that the intent of the accompanying gag order had been to protect the judge and his family from scrutiny.
The Trump War Room account shared both posts side by side on X: &#8220;Statement from President Donald J. Trump on the illegal, psychotic order from the deeply conflicted, corrupt, biased, and incompetent Acting Justice Juan Merchan.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Statement from President Donald J. Trump on the illegal, psychotic order from the deeply conflicted, corrupt, biased, and incompetent Acting Justice Juan Merchan <a href="https://t.co/ljTuy6B5Cd">pic.twitter.com/ljTuy6B5Cd</a>
&mdash; Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1869048143687663964?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;BREAKING: In a completely illegal, psychotic order, the deeply conflicted, corrupt, biased, and incompetent Acting Justice Juan Merchan has completely disrespected the United States Supreme Court, and its Historic Decision on Immunity,&#8221; Trump began. &#8220;But even without Immunity, this illegitimate case is nothing but a Rigged Hoax.&#8221;
&#8220;Merchan, who is a radical partisan, wrote an opinion that is knowingly unlawful, goes against our Constitution, and, if allowed to stand, would be the end of the Presidency as we know it,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Merchan has so little respect for the Constitution that he is keeping in place an illegal gag order on me, your President and President-Elect, just so I cannot expose his and his family’s disqualifying and illegal conflicts …&#8221;
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Trump kept going in the same vein in a second post, picking up where he left off: &#8220;… I am the only Political Opponent in American History not allowed to defend myself — A despicable First Amendment Violation!&#8221;
He went on to argue that the case Merchan brought had not even been a legitimate case to begin with and listed a number of legal experts — &#8220;including Jonathan Turley, Elie Honig, Andy McCarthy, Alan Dershowitz, Gregg Jarrett, David Rivkin, Elizabeth Price Foley, Katie and Andy Cherkasky, Paul Ingrassia&#8221; — who had argued just that.
&#8220;[It] is a nonexistent case, barred by the Statute of Limitations, and should have never been brought and, through his fraud and misconduct, [Merchan] gave it a semblance of &#8216;life.&#8217; While Deranged Jack Smith was sent packing back to The Hague after losing all of his politically manufactured cases against me, Merchan, who is far worse and even more corrupt than Smith in his fight for my hopeless political opponents, just cannot let go of this charade,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Is it because of his conflicts and relations that he keeps breaking the Law? This has to stop! It is time to end the Lawfare once and for all, so we can come together as one Nation and, Make America Great Again.&#8221;
Merchan, in his <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/16/nyregion/trump-immunity-criminal-case.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">41-page decision</a>, agreed with prosecutors who argued that the evidence presented against Trump in that case was strictly related to his personal conduct rather than any official acts.
&#8220;The People’s use of these acts as evidence of the decidedly personal acts of falsifying business records poses no danger of intrusion on the authority and function of the executive branch,&#8221; Merchan wrote.
Trump spokesman Stephen Cheung also responded to the decision, saying that it was &#8220;a direct violation of the Supreme Court’s decision on immunity.&#8221;

President-Elect Donald Trump Meets With Biden, Congressional Leaders In Washington

Trump Blows Up At Judge Merchan Over Refusal To Toss Hush-Money Conviction

Hush money

trial

The judge overseeing President-elect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump’s</a> hush money case in New York has postponed the sentencing in the case and is giving his lawyers the chance to argue now that the conviction should be thrown out because he won the election.
New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, who Trump’s team tried to have removed form the case over allegations of bias, did not schedule a future sentencing date in Friday’s one-page order canceling next week’s sentencing hearing.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: It&#8217;s official. Trump&#8217;s sentencing in New York is canceled indefinitely. <a href="https://t.co/PL45QlCrGO">pic.twitter.com/PL45QlCrGO</a>
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) <a href="https://twitter.com/kyledcheney/status/1859984235739918468?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
“In a decisive win for President Trump, the hoax Manhattan Case is now fully stayed and sentencing is adjourned,” said Steven Cheung, Trump&#8217;s Communications Director. “President Trump won a landslide victory as the American People have issued a mandate to return him to office and dispose of all remnants of the Witch Hunt cases.”
“All of the sham lawfare attacks against President Trump are now destroyed and we are focused on Making America Great Again,” he continued. 
The Washington Post reported that Merchan is allowing Trump’s lawyers to make their case for why the conviction should be thrown out now in light of his re-election due to the interference that it would cause in his ability to execute his role as president.
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“Just as a sitting President is completely immune from any criminal process, so too is President Trump as President-elect,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in a letter filed this week.
The case, which was filed by George Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, was always considered by far the weakest that Trump faced as many Democrats even voiced serious concerns about it, noting that it likely never would have been brought if Trump was not running for president.
The two federal cases that Trump faced from special counsel Jack Smith are rapidly coming to an end since the Department of Justice is not able to prosecute a case against a sitting president.

Trump’s Sentencing In New York Hush Money Case Suspended Indefinitely

President-elect Donald Trump’s sentencing hearing has been indefinitely &#8220;adjourned&#8221; as the court evaluates how to handle the case after Trump’s reelection to the White House.
A New York court said in a note posted to the case docket on Tuesday that the November 26 hearing had been adjourned without further explanation, according to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-19/trump-s-nov-26-hush-money-sentencing-adjourned-court-says">Bloomberg</a>. The note came on the same day as a deadline for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office to submit an argument on how the election and a Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity should impact the case.
The judge in the case, Justice Juan Merchan, has not signaled where he thinks the trial should go. Some of the options are dismissal of the case, or postponing sentencing for four years until Trump’s second term in the White House is complete, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ny-judge-adjourns-trump-hearing-without-explanation-delaying-sentencing">Fox News</a>.
Trump’s legal team has argued that the case against the president-elect should be dismissed. Bragg’s team of prosecutors has said that some action should be taken after Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records in May.
“The People agree that these are unprecedented circumstances and that the arguments raised by defense counsel in correspondence to the People on Friday require careful consideration to ensure that any further steps in this proceeding appropriately balance the competing interests of (1) a jury verdict of guilt following trial that has the presumption of regularity; and (2) the Office of the President,” prosecutor Matthew Colangelo <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-delays-decision-on-trumps-immunity-in-hush-money-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> to Merchan last week.
A New York jury convicted Trump on 34 felony counts in May related to hush money paid to Stephanie Clifford, a porn actress who goes by the name Stormy Daniels. Trump faces a maximum penalty of four years in prison.
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Throughout the trial, Trump complained of unfair treatment and bias by Merchan, whose daughter is a Democratic operative. Merchan issued gag orders against Trump over his complaints and accusations against the judge and others.
In May, the Supreme Court ruled that presidents are immune from prosecution over official acts or acts that are part of a president’s “core constitutional powers.” Outside of that scope, however, presidential immunity may not apply.
“The president enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts, and not everything the president does is official. The president is not above the law,” Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the decision. “But Congress may not criminalize the president’s conduct in carrying out the responsibilities of the Executive Branch under the Constitution.”

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