by Ben Whedon
President-elect Donald Trump on Friday received a sentence of unconditional discharge in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s hush money case.
“Sir, I wish you Godspeed as you pursue your second term in office,” Merchan said after imposing the sentence, according to the Washington Post.
The sentence means Trump will not face jail time, probation, or a fine.
Trump appeared remotely for the proceedings from his Mar-a-Lago estate. He took a defiant tone during the sentencing, highlighting his election victory, which he said was indicative of public rejection of the case.
“They’ve been watching your trial, so they understood it,” he said of public, CNN reported.
The sentence means that Trump will face no jail time, a development acting Justice Juan Merchan hinted at in earlier filings. The expected sentence played a role in the Supreme Court’s refusal to block the sentencing on Thursday evening.
During the proceedings, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass highlighted what he said were efforts to encourage the public to “reject the jury verdict.” Trump’s attorneys rejected that assertion and reiterated their concerns about the case’s legitimacy.
Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records last year in connection with a 2016 payment his then-attorney, Michael Cohen, made to Stormy Daniels. He maintains he is innocent of wrongdoing and that the case is politically motivated.
The decision formally labelled Trump a convicted felon, making him the first person of such status to enter the White House.
– – –
Ben Whedon is a reporter for Just the News.
