Former US President Donald Trump’s sentencing in the hush money case has been delayed until September as his lawyers seek to challenge his conviction following a Supreme Court ruling. The Republican presidential candidate was initially scheduled to be sentenced on July 11 but has been pushed to September 18, seven weeks before the elections in the US.
In May, Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, making him the first former president ever convicted of a felony.
On Tuesday, Justice Juan Merchan said that he would issue a decision on the motions by September 6 and, if necessary, the sentencing will take place on September 18, reported BBC.
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His legal team has asked for his conviction on criminal charges, stemming from hush money paid to an adult movie star, to be overturned after the country’s highest court on Monday ruled that former presidents have partial immunity for “official” acts during their presidency.
Prosecutors at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said on Tuesday that Trump’s argument was “without merit”, reported Reuter. However, the prosecutors agreed to delay the sentencing to give Trump the chance to make his case.
The prosecutors said that Trump had reimbursed his fixer, Michel Cohen, for hush money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claimed she had an affair with Trump.
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The money, paid on the eve of the 2016 elections, was covered up falsely labelling it as a legal expense.
Trump has denied having sex with Daniels and has vowed to appeal the conviction after his sentencing.
Shortly after the ruling, Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social where he wrote that the delay constituted “TOTAL EXONERATION!” and that it “ends” “witch hunts against me.”
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