President-elect Trump was sentenced Friday to unconditional release after being found guilty of falsifying business records stemming from a years-long investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The president-elect watched the ruling virtually after fighting to block the process all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court this week. Mr. Trump sat next to his defense attorney, Todd Blanche.
President Trump petitions to uphold ‘unlawful sentence’ in New York case
Judge Juan Melchán did not sentence the president-elect to prison, instead handing him unconditional release. This means that penalties such as jail time, fines, and probation will not be imposed. The ruling also preserves President Trump’s ability to appeal his conviction.
“After careful analysis, this court has determined that the only lawful sentence to allow a conviction to begin is an unconditional discharge,” Machan said Friday. “At this time, I would impose that sentence to cover all 34 counts.”
President-elect Trump (right) appears in virtual court on Friday. (Fox News)
Machan added: “Your Excellency, I wish you the best of luck in your second term.”
Before Judge Marchan announced his decision, President Trump called the case “a tremendous setback to the American court system.”
“This is a great shame for the state of New York,” Trump said, adding that the people witnessed the trial firsthand and voted “resolutely” to elect him president.
President Trump said the Justice Department is “deeply involved” and stressed that a lawsuit like this against a former president, candidate, and now president-elect “has never happened before in our country.” .
“I want to explain to you that I was treated very, very unfairly. And I’m very grateful,” Trump said Friday.
Marchand set the sentencing date for January 10, just 10 days before Trump is scheduled to be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.
From left: Judge Juan Marchan, President-elect Trump, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. (Getty Images, AP Images)
Marchand said last week that when scheduling his sentencing, he would not likely “impose any sentence of incarceration,” but would instead impose a sentence of “unconditional release.”
At Friday’s sentencing hearing, Marchan said he took the “unusual step” of notifying President Trump of his sentencing before proceeding.
“Sentencing is one of the most difficult decisions for a criminal court judge,” Marchan said, noting that the court “must consider the facts of the case, as well as any aggravating or mitigating circumstances.” .
Reflecting on the case, Marchand said, “Never before has a situation so unique been presented to this court.” The judge said it was an “unusual case” with increased media attention and increased security, but once the courtroom doors closed, the trial itself was “no more special or unusual” than any other case. said.
President-elect Trump (right) appears in virtual court on Friday. (Fox News)
President Trump appealed to the New York State Court of Appeals to block the sentencing. The court denied his request.
President Trump also filed an emergency motion with the U.S. Supreme Court to “immediately order a stay of the pending criminal proceeding in the Supreme Court of New York County, State of New York.”
The high court rejected the request, stating that “the motion for stay filed with Justice Sotomayor and referred to the court by her is denied for the following reasons, inter alia.”
President-elect Trump speaks at a press conference Tuesday at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Trump says he respects Supreme Court’s decision to deny request to halt ruling and vows to appeal
“First, any alleged evidentiary violations in President-elect Trump’s state court trial can be addressed through the normal appellate process,” the Supreme Court’s order filed Thursday night states. . “Second, given the trial court’s intent to impose a sentence of ‘unconditional release’ after a short virtual hearing, the burden that sentencing places on the president-elect’s responsibility is relatively light.”
The order also stated that “Judges Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh grant the application.”
The U.S. Supreme Court poses for an official portrait in the East Conference Room of the Supreme Court Building on October 7, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Trump’s request needed five votes to be granted. The order indicates that Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett voted with Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Katanji Brown Jackson.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States on January 20th.
President Trump has maintained his innocence in the case and has repeatedly denounced it as an example of a “legal” push by Democrats to harm his campaign in November.
Brooke Singman is a political correspondent and reporter for Fox News Digital, Fox News Channel and FOX Business.
Source link
