Judge Postpones Donald Trump's Sentencing Until After Presidential Election

The New York judge presiding over Donald Trump's trial for secret payments to a former porn actress has postponed the sentencing until after the November 5 presidential elections. The Republican candidate for the White House was initially scheduled to hear the sentence on September 18 after being found guilty of falsifying accounting records, but Judge Juan Merchan delayed it to November 26.

"It is not a decision this Court takes lightly, but it is the one that, in the Court’s opinion, best serves the interests of justice," said the Colombian-born judge. Trump's lawyers had requested the delay.

What is Donald Trump accused of?

Trump was found guilty in May on 34 counts of "aggravated accounting falsification" to conceal payments made to a former adult film actress to ensure her silence about an extramarital affair she claims to have had with him in 2006, so as not to harm him during the 2016 election.

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Initially, the sentencing was scheduled for July 11, but it was postponed after the Supreme Court ruled that a former U.S. president has broad immunity from criminal prosecution. Trump's lawyers requested that the New York conviction be dismissed following the Supreme Court's ruling.

Judge Merchan said he would rule on the motion to dismiss on November 12 and postponed the sentencing until after the election. In theory, Trump faces up to four years in prison for each charge, though it is unlikely he will serve time.

After the ruling, the former president praised the postponement of his sentencing in New York and called for the case to be closed.

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