Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead
CV NEWS FEED // Prosecutors for the controversial New York City case against President-elect Donald Trump indicated on Tuesday that they will likely postpone sentencing him – a development that the incoming administration hailed as a “total and definitive victory.”
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that prosecutors in Manhattan “agreed to postpone further proceedings in Donald Trump’s hush-money case, but opposed the president-elect’s bid to dismiss his conviction.”
The New York Times noted that the prosecutors “raised the prospect of a four-year freeze” of sentencing while “acknowledging the unprecedented nature of the case.”
“The judge, Juan M. Merchan, will now decide in the coming weeks whether to freeze the case or dismiss it outright, a momentous ruling that will shape the outcome of the only one of Mr. Trump’s four criminal cases that made it to trial,” the Times added.
Trump’s incoming White House Communications Director Steven Cheung wrote in a statement: “This is a total and definitive victory of President Trump and the American People who elected him in a landslide.”
“The Manhattan DA has conceded that this Witch Hunt cannot continue,” Cheung’s statement added. “The lawless case is now stayed, and President Trump’s legal team is moving to get it dismissed once and for all.”
On May 30, a Manhattan jury convicted Trump of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records – prompting extensive backlash.
Democratic New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg spearheaded the prosecution that led up to the conviction. While successfully campaigning for District Attorney in 2021, Bragg had notably stressed his previous lawsuits against Trump and vowed, if elected, to hold the former president “accountable.”
Trump has consistently maintained his innocence, while a chorus of critics from across the political spectrum have held that the case was politically charged “lawfare” and should never have been brought in the first place.
Although opponents of the 2024 Republican nominee had hoped Trump’s new status as a “convicted felon” would derail his candidacy, it caused his supporters to rally around him and sparked an influx of campaign donations.
Ultimately, the May guilty verdict did not prevent Trump from defeating Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in November – prompting many analysts to contend that the Manhattan case, and the various other legal accusations levied against Trump, backfired on Democrats.
