A judge agreed on Friday to postpone former US President Donald Trump’s sentencing in his hush money case until after the November election, The Associated Press.
Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan, who is also weighing a defense request to overturn the verdict on immunity grounds, delayed Trump’s sentencing until November 26, three weeks after the final votes are cast in the presidential election.
The sentencing had originally been scheduled for September 18.
Merchan wrote that he was postponing the sentencing “to avoid any appearance — however unwarranted — that the proceeding has been affected by or seeks to affect the approaching presidential election in which the Defendant is a candidate.”
Trump was found guilty in May of falsifying business records in the hush money trial being held in New York.
The 12-person jury found Trump guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels near the end of the 2016 presidential campaign.
Trump’s lawyers have also asked Merchan to set aside his conviction, citing the US Supreme Court’s ruling that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution.
Trump’s lawyers argued that delaying his sentencing until after the election would also allow him time to weigh next steps after Merchan rules on the request to reverse his conviction and dismiss the case.
In his order Friday, Merchan delayed a decision on that until November 12.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)