Fri Jan 03 21:26:21 UTC 2025: **Trump to be Sentenced Before Inauguration, but Will Avoid Jail**
NEW YORK (January 4, 2025) – President-elect Donald Trump will be sentenced on January 10th for his hush-money conviction, just over a week before his inauguration. Judge Juan M. Merchan ruled that while Trump will receive a conditional discharge – avoiding jail time – he will be the first president to assume office with a felony conviction.
Trump was found guilty in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign. The judge rejected Trump’s arguments for dismissal based on presidential immunity and the timing of his return to office, stating that sentencing before the inauguration is necessary to serve the interests of justice.
While Trump’s lawyers argued that the conviction would unconstitutionally disrupt his presidency, prosecutors suggested alternative solutions, including freezing the case during his term. The judge ultimately opted for the conditional discharge.
This marks a historic moment, as Trump will be both the first former president convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected president. The case involved Trump’s reimbursement of his lawyer, Michael Cohen, for the payment to Daniels, which prosecutors argued was an attempt to conceal the payment from voters. Trump maintains his innocence. Three other criminal indictments against Trump have since been concluded or put on hold.
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