By Donald Trump’s sentencing in his Manhattan hush money criminal trial has been postponed until after the November election.
Justice Juan Merchan on Friday delayed the sentencing to 26 November, citing “the unique time frame this matter currently finds itself in” among his reasons.
According to BBC, lawyers for Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, have used several legal manoeuvres to delay the sentencing, which was scheduled for 18 September.
A New York jury convicted Trump in May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, the first time a sitting or former president has been convicted of a crime.
In his decision, Judge Merchan wrote that the case demands “a sentencing hearing that is entirely focused on the verdict of the jury”.
“Their verdict must be respected and addressed in a manner that is not diluted by the enormity of the upcoming presidential election,” he said, setting sentencing to exactly three weeks after the 5 November election.
Trump could face a sentence of up to four years in prison, but Justice Merchan also has the discretion to impose a punishment of a fine, probation, or a short jail term.
Trump has maintained that he did nothing wrong. He told Fox News after the ruling that the “case should be dead”, while his campaign said it was a “witch hunt”.
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