Donald Trump’s ‘hush money’ case sentencing postponed until after US election
Unlock the US Election Countdown newsletter for free
The stories that matter on money and politics in the race for the White House
Donald Trump will not face sentencing over his “hush money” conviction before the US presidential election on November 5, after a Manhattan judge granted his request to delay the proceeding scheduled for later this month.
Justice Juan Merchan on Friday said maintaining the September 18 sentencing date was “fraught with complexities”, and maintained he was treating Donald Trump — the former US president and current Republican presidential candidate — similarly to other criminal defendants whose sentencing hearings are repeatedly postponed.
He set a new sentencing date for November 26.
Lawyers for Trump had argued that it would be “personally and politically prejudicial to President Trump and his family, and harmful to the institution of the presidency” for the proceedings to take place before November, even if any punishment imposed was subsequently reversed.
The office of the Manhattan district attorney, who brought the case, did not oppose the request to delay sentencing, saying it would defer to the court.
This is a developing story