As the first person convicted of a felony to take office, President-elect Trump was reportedly spared any punishment for his hush money criminal conviction on Friday when a New York judge gave him to an unconditional discharge, avoiding jail time.
Less than two weeks before Trump is scheduled to return to the White House, Judge Juan Merchan’s decision to free him with no conditions caps the first and only criminal trial of a former president.
In May, he was convicted of 34 felonies by a jury in New York for a conspiracy to illegally influence the 2016 election by hiding a payment to a porn star to silence him about their alleged affair, which Trump has denied.
Trump participated remotely in Friday’s about 40-minute sentencing session with the judge’s approval.
“After careful analysis and obedience of government mandates, pursuant of law, the court feels the only sentence is an unconditional discharge, which is a lawful and permissible sentence for falsifying business records,” Merchan said.
“I impose that sentence for all 34 counts, and sir, I wish you godspeed as you pursue your second term in office,” he added.
Trump made a concerted effort to delay his punishment until after he assumes president.
Originally scheduled for last July, Trump persuaded Merchan to postpone it until after the election while the judge considered if the conviction could stand up against the Supreme Court’s decision that grants former presidents’ official actions wide criminal immunity.
Trump’s attempts to weaken the case accelerated after he was elected president, presenting fresh claims that he ought to be granted the protections of an incumbent right away.
Merchan appealed his attempt to halt the case all the way to the Supreme Court, which remained silent, even after indicating that no punishment was the “most viable solution” given Trump’s immunity from criminal prosecution during his forthcoming White House tenure.
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