Judge Delays Ruling on Whether to Scrap Trump’s Conviction in Hush-Money Case

TIME

A judge postponed a decision on whether to undo President-elect Donald Trump’s conviction in his hush money case as prosecutors consider how to proceed in light of last week's election and his lawyers argue for dismissal so he can run the country.

Transcript

00:00A week after winning the presidency, Donald Trump won a reprieve in his criminal case

00:04in New York City.

00:05Now, Trump had been set for possible sentencing at the end of the month, but the judge in

00:09the case delayed all proceedings at least a week while prosecutors and the defense discuss

00:15ways forward after Trump's victory.

00:18Trump was convicted in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a hush

00:22money payment back in 2016 to porn actor Stormy Daniels.

00:26Since then, the Supreme Court ruled that presidents and former presidents have certain

00:30immunity for official acts and that cases brought against them can't use evidence of

00:35their official acts, things they did as president in their official capacity, against them at

00:40trial.

00:41That has added a wrinkle to this case.

00:43Originally, Trump was supposed to be sentenced in July, and then that was delayed until September,

00:48and then with the impending election, that was delayed again until November.

00:52While Trump's victory has essentially presented him with what he is trying to flex as a get

00:56out of jail free card.

00:57His lawyers are arguing that he can't possibly face this cloud hanging over his head, this

01:03conviction and a possible sentence to jail while he's preparing to go to the White House.

01:08So now Judge Juan Merchan is contemplating how to go forward.

01:12Does he dismiss the case?

01:14Does he delay it indefinitely, possibly four years until Trump is out of office?

01:18Or does he go forward with sentencing, something that could potentially be tied up in appeals

01:24and prolong the process as Trump is going again from private citizen to president of

01:30the United States.

01:31Now prosecutors and defense lawyers over the weekend exchanged emails spelling out their

01:36thoughts on this.

01:37The prosecution, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, seemed open to at least staying or

01:42delaying the proceedings, potentially indefinitely.

01:45They cited the desire to strike a balance between the jury's verdict and the will of

01:51the American people.

01:53The vote of 12 people on the jury versus the votes of 73, 75 million people who elected

01:59Trump president.

Category

Transcript

Recommended