In a landmark ruling, former President Donald Trump was granted an unconditional discharge on Friday for his role in concealing hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, avoiding both jail time and a fine. The sentencing follows Trump’s May 2024 conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records, which carried potential prison time.
New York Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the case, noted that the circumstances surrounding the trial were “unique and remarkable.” Merchan explained that an unconditional discharge was the only lawful sentence that could avoid encroaching on the presidency, a decision that makes Trump the first former president convicted of a felony.
Trump, who appeared virtually for the proceedings, expressed frustration over the case, calling it a “tremendous setback for New York and the New York court system” and asserting that the trial was intended to damage his reputation ahead of the 2024 election. The case centered on allegations that Trump paid Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged affair before the 2016 election, a move prosecutors described as a “premeditated and continuous deception.”
Despite Trump’s claims of a “witch hunt” and efforts to delay the proceedings, Judge Merchan ruled in favor of moving forward with sentencing. Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass emphasized that the guilty verdict was unanimous and must be respected.
This decision arrives just days before Trump’s anticipated swearing-in for a second term as president, cementing his position as a highly controversial figure in American politics. Trump’s legal team had sought to delay the sentencing, but the Supreme Court declined to intervene, setting the stage for Trump to be officially marked as the first U.S. president convicted of a felony.
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