This post was originally published on The Washington Informer
By Stacy M. Brown
President-elect Donald Trump received an unconditional discharge Friday in the New York “hush money” case, appearing virtually from his Mar-a-Lago home for a sentencing that leaves him free of jail time, fines or probation as he prepares for his inauguration on Jan. 20.
Judge Juan Merchan stated that the unconditional discharge was the only legal option available just days before Trump assumed the presidency. He called the case “truly extraordinary” and said that while the trial itself was not unusual, the sentencing circumstances were unique. He said legal protections were tied to the presidency, “not the occupant of the office.”
Trump offered no remorse during the hearing and later posted on social media, calling the case a “political witch hunt.”
The case focused on a $130,000 payment made to an adult film actress during Trump’s 2016 campaign. Prosecutors argued that Trump falsified business records to hide the payment. Despite a conviction on 34 felony counts, Trump avoided any sanction, becoming the first president or president-elect to carry a felony conviction without immediate consequences.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass described Trump’s actions, accusing him of undermining the justice system.
“Instead of preserving, protecting and defending … a constitutionally established system of criminal justice … the defendant has engaged in a coordinated campaign to undermine its legitimacy,” he said.
Steinglass also referenced threats against prosecutors and judges, which he argued were meant to intimidate. “Such threats are designed to have a chilling effect … because they fear that he is simply too powerful to be subjected to the same rule of law as the rest of us.”
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) dismissed the case as baseless, writing that “the only crime committed in the fake New York case against President Trump was in that courtroom.” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) called the sentencing a “cheap show” orchestrated by political opponents.
Justice Merchan addressed Trump directly after the sentencing: “Sir, I wish you Godspeed as you pursue your second term in office.”
The post Trump Sentenced in New York Hush Money Case, Avoids Jail as Inauguration Nears appeared first on The Washington Informer.
