The New York judge agrees to delay Donald Trump’s conviction in bribery case until after November election, granting him a delay as he is trying to overcome the consequences of his criminal conviction and preparing for the final steps of the presidential campaign, PBS News reported.
Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan, who is also considering a defence request to overturn the verdict on immunity grounds, delayed Trump’s sentencing until 26 November, weeks after the presidential election results are finalised. He said:
“This is not a decision this Court makes lightly but it is the decision which in this Court’s view, best advances the interests of justice. Adjourning decision on the motion and sentencing, if such is required, should dispel any suggestion that the Court will have issued any decision or imposed sentence either to give an advantage to, or to create a disadvantage for, any political party and or any candidate for any office.”
He also said the delay should help “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.”
The hearing was initially set for 18 September, approximately seven weeks before election day; however, Trump’s lawyers insisted on a delay on several fronts, filing petitions with the judge and seeking intervention from a federal court. The punishment of the former president and current Republican candidate in the midst of his campaign to reclaim the White House would amount to election interference, according to his attorneys. Trump, for his part, expressed a differing viewpoint during an address to the Fraternal Order of Police in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Manhattan DA witch hunt against me has been postponed because everyone realizes that there was no case because I did nothing wrong. It’s a witch hunt. It’s an attack by my political opponents in Washington, D.C., and comrade Kamala Harris. This case should be rightfully terminated immediately.
On Tuesday, the federal judge rejected Trump’s request for the US District Court to remove the case from Merchan’s state court. His lawyers stated had they succeeded, they would have sought to overturn the verdict and dismiss the case on the grounds of immunity. In the meantime, Trump is appealing the federal court ruling.
