Judge Merchan denies Trump's request to delay sentencing
New York Judge Juan Merchan denied President-elect Donald Trump's request to delay sentencing in the New York v. Trump case.
"Defendant's motion for a stay of these proceedings, including the sentencing hearing scheduled for January 10, 2025, is hereby DENIED," Merchan wrote in his decision Monday.
Earlier Monday, Trump's legal team filed a motion to delay sentencing in the case. Trump is set to be sentenced on Jan. 10 at 9:30 a.m., 10 days ahead of his inauguration as the 47th president of the United States on Jan. 20.
"Today, President Trump’s legal team moved to stop the unlawful sentencing in the Manhattan D.A.’s Witch Hunt. 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," Trump spokesperson and incoming White House communications director Steven Cheung told Fox Digital on Monday morning.
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"The American People elected President Trump with an overwhelming mandate that demands an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and all of the remaining Witch Hunts. We look forward to uniting our country in the new administration as President Trump makes America great again," Cheung continued.
Earlier Monday, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office responded to Trump's filing, calling on the court to deny the request.
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Merchan has already said he will not sentence the president-elect to prison and instead issue a sentence of an "unconditional discharge," which means there would be no punishment imposed.
Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the Manhattan case in May. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office worked to prove that Trump falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to quiet her claims of an alleged affair with Trump in 2006.
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Trump has maintained his innocence in the case and repeatedly railed against it as an example of lawfare promoted by Democrats in an effort to hurt his election efforts ahead of November.
"Virtually ever legal scholar and pundit says THERE IS NO (ZERO!) CASE AGAINST ME. The Judge fabricated the facts, and the law, no different than the other New York Judicial and Prosecutorial Witch Hunts. That’s why businesses are fleeing New York, taking with them millions of jobs, and BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN TAXES. The legal system is broken, and businesses can’t take a chance in getting caught up in this quicksand. IT’S ALL RIGGED, in this case against a political opponent, ME!!!" Trump posted to Truth Social on Sunday evening of the case.
Fox News Digital's Brooke Singman contributed to this report.