‘Glaring’ Trump avoids jail time with unconditional discharge sentence as he slams hush money case as ’embarrassment’

DONALD Trump has emerged unscathed as he avoids prison time with an unconditional discharge sentence in his hush money case, cementing his status as the first felon to serve in the White House.

Despite the president-elect’s repeated efforts to dismiss the case, citing his Election Day victory and his right to presidential immunity, Judge Juan Merchan had the final say during Friday’s sentencing.

President-elect Donald Trump appears remotely for his sentencing hearing in his hush money caseReuters

A Trump supporter wearing a black MAGA hat outside the Manhattan criminal courthouseAP:Associated Press

Trump supporters display a giant flag that reads ‘Trump Won Trifecta’ outside the Manhattan Criminal CourtAFP or licensors

An inside look at the courtroom where President-elect Donald Trump is to be sentencedAFP

Donald Trump appeared remotely from his Mar-a-Lago estate in FloridaAFP

Merchan said that, as a judge, he considered the facts of the case and acknowledged his “unusual steps” to inform him of the punishment beforehand.

“Never before has this court been presented with such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances,” the judge said, recognizing the different cases he’s tried while on the bench.

“Indeed, it can viewed fairly, this has been a truly extraordinary case.

“While one can argue that the trial itself in many respects was somewhat ordinary, the same cannot be said about the circumstances surrounding this sentence.”

Judge Merchan continued, “That is because of the office you once occupied and which you will soon occupy again.

“To be sure, it is the legal protections afforded to the office of the president of the United States that are extraordinary, not the occupant of the office.

“The legal protections, especially within the contexts of criminal prosecution afforded to the office of the president, have been laid out by our founders, constitution, and most recently interpreted by the United States Supreme Court in the matter of Trump vs. the United States.

“However, the considerable, indeed, extraordinary legal protections afforded by the office of the chief executive is a factor that overrides all others.

“To be clear, the protections afforded the office of president are not a mitigating factor.

“They do not reduce the seriousness of the crime or justify its commission in any way.

“However, despite the extraordinary breadth of those protections, one power they do not provide is to erase a jury verdict.”

‘SIR, GODSPEED’

The judge added, “It is clear from legal president, which until July 1st was scarce, that Donald Trump, the ordinary citizen, and Donald Trump, the criminal defendant, would not be entitled to such considerable protections.

“I am referring to protections that extend well beyond those afforded the average defendant who whines their way through the criminal justice system each day.

“Ordinary citizens do not receive those legal protections. It is the office of the president that bestows those far-reaching protections to the officeholder.

“And it is the citizenry of this nation that recently decided that you should once again receive the benefits of those protections, which include, among other things, the supremacy clause and presidential immunity.”

As Judge Merchan delivered the sentence, Trump remained silent, sitting upright, lips pressed together and slightly frowning.

Merchan wished Trump well in his upcoming presidency as he ended the proceeding

“Sir, I wish you Godspeed as you pursue your second term in office,” the judge said, as Trump titled his head and did not respond.

Despite his conviction, Trump will still be able to vote as he’s registered in Florida.

Florida state law bars people convicted of felonies from voting, but a felon’s right to vote can be restored after they have completed their sentence.

However, Trump must provide his DNA sample to New York state’s crime database.

By law, every person convicted of a felony must provide their DNA sample.

‘POLITICAL WITCH HUNT’

As he began the proceeding, Judge Merchan greeted the courtroom and Trump, saying, “Good morning, Mr. Trump,” to which the president-elect ignored.

Trump and his lead attorney, Todd Blanche, appeared together in the courtroom virtually from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump was seen on video wearing a red tie with white strips and a backdrop of American flags behind him and Blanche.

Both men wore American flag pins on their suit jackets.

Trump shook his head as Judge Merchan read out the 34 criminal counts the president-elect was convicted of on May 30, 2024.

“This defendant has caused enduring damage to public perception of the criminal justice system and has placed officers of the court in harm’s way,” prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said.

Steinglass ripped the president-elect, saying that rather than “express any remorse for his criminal acts, he has spread disdain for our institutions and the rule of law.”

Trump disputed the prosecution’s statements, repeating his sentiment that the case is a “political witch hunt.”

“This has been a very terrible experience,” the president-elect said on video.

“I think it has been a tremendous setback for New York and the New York court system. This is a case that Alvin Bragg did not want to bring.

Anti-Trump demonstrators protest outside Manhattan criminal court before the start of the sentencing of the president-electAP:Associated Press

In his address to the court, President-elect Trump again repeated his sentiment that his case was a ‘political witch hunt’AFP

Pro-Trump supporters showcase a giant ‘Trump Won Trifecta’ bannerAFP or licensors

“He thought it was, from what I read and what I hear, inappropriately handled before he got there.

“It’s been a political witch hunt. It was done to damage my reputation so that I’d lose the election, but that didn’t work.”

‘DESPICABLE CHARADE’

Trump underscored his 2024 election victory, saying in court that he won the popular vote by millions of votes.

“The people of our country got to see this first hand because they watched the case in your courtroom. They got to see this first hand, and then they voted, and I won,” he added.

“I think it was a disgrace to the system. I was under a gag order.

“I’m the first president in history that was under a gag order, I guess I’m still under, so I probably won’t do it now.

“But the fact is I’m totally innocent. I did nothing wrong. They talk about business records and the business records were extremely accurately counted.

“I had nothing to do with them anyway that was done by an accountant or bookkeeper, who I think gave a very accurate testimony.

“I got indicted over calling a legal expense a legal expense. I just want to say I think it’s an embarrassment to New York, and New York has a lot of problems, but this is a great embarrassment.”

On Truth Social, the president-elect continued his attack on the justice system and his opponents.

“The Radical Democrats have lost another pathetic, unAmerican Witch Hunt,” Trump wrote minutes after he received an unconditional discharge sentence.

“After spending tens of millions of dollars, wasting over 6 years of obsessive work that should have been spent on protecting New Yorkers from violent, rampant crime that is destroying the City and State, coordinating with the Biden/Harris Department of Injustice in lawless Weaponization, and bringing completely baseless, illegal, and fake charges against your 45th and 47th President, ME, I was given an UNCONDITIONAL DISCHARGE.

“That result alone proves that, as all Legal Scholars and Experts have said, THERE IS NO CASE, THERE WAS NEVER A CASE, and this whole Scam fully deserves to be DISMISSED.

“The real Jury, the American People, have spoken, by Re-Electing me with an overwhelming MANDATE in one of the most consequential Elections in History.”

Trump added, “As the American People have seen, this ‘case’ had no crime, no damages, no proof, no facts, no Law, only a highly conflicted Judge, a star witness who is a disbarred, disgraced, serial perjurer, and criminal Election Interference.

“Today’s event was a despicable charade, and now that it is over, we will appeal this Hoax, which has no merit, and restore the trust of Americans in our once great System of Justice. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

A sketch photo of porn star Stormy Daniels testifying during Trump’s hush money trialReuters

Protesters holding up anti-Donald Trump signs outside the Lower Manhattan courthouseAP:Associated Press

Donald Trump seated at the defense table during his criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30, 2024AFP or licensors

SUPREME COURT EFFORT

Both anti and pro-Trump protesters gathered outside Manhattan Criminal Court ahead of the sentencing.

Pro-Trump demonstrators united to support the president-elect as one protester carried a large blue, red, and white “Trump Make America Great Again” banner.

A group of supporters showcased a giant flag that reads “Trump Won Trifecta” outside the courthouse.

Trump proclaimed his innocence ahead of the proceeding, blasting the sentencing as a “weaponization of the justice system against a political opponent.”

The president-elect and his legal team filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court on Wednesday in a final ditch effort to prevent the sentencing from moving forward as scheduled.

However, in a surprising 5 to 4 decision, the Supreme Court denied Trump‘s bid, arguing that the sentencing that would be imposed on the president-elect’s responsibilities is “relatively insubstantial.”

The majority included conservative judges Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and Amy Coney Barrett, who sided with their liberal counterparts, Justices Sona Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Justice Barrett is a Trump appointee who was nominated to the higher court during his first term in September 2020.

Four of the court’s conservative justices – Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito Jr., Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh – noted disagreements without providing reasons.

“I appreciate the time and effort of the United States Supreme Court in trying to remedy the great injustice done to me by the highly conflicted ‘Acting Justice,’ who should not have been allowed to try this case,” Trump wrote on Truth Social after the Supreme Court denied his request.

“Every Legal Scholar state, unequivocally, that this is a case that should never have been brought.

“There was no case against me. In order words, I am innocent of all the Judge’s made up, fake charges.

“This was nothing other than Weaponization of our Justice System against a Political Opponent.

“It’s called Lawfare, and nothing like this has ever happened in the United States of America, and it should never be allowed to happen again.”

The president-elect continued, “To this day, this highly political and corrupt Judge has put a gag order on me, which takes away my First Amendment right to speak about very important aspects of the case.

“For the sake and sanctity of the Presidency, I will be appealing this case, and am confident that JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL.

“The pathetic, dying remnants of the Witch Hunts against me will not distract us as we unite and, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

For months, Trump’s sentencing was delayed several times due to the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling in July and a flurry of motions by his legal team.

Then, after his Election Day victory, the sentencing was derailed again as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Trump’s legal team reevaluated how to proceed with the case.

Bragg, a Democrat, acknowledged the magnitude of sentencing an incoming president and suggested freezing the proceedings until the conclusion of Trump’s second term.

That would have meant sentencing would not occur until January 2029 at the earliest.

However, Judge Merchan ruled to hold sentencing 10 days before Trump’s presidential inauguration on January 20.

Donald Trump pictured during closing arguments in the Trump Organization civil fraud trial at New York State Supreme Court in January 2024AP:Associated Press