Trump asks court to postpone sentencing ahead of inauguration

President-elect Donald Trump has asked a New York justice to halt the sentencing successful his felony hush wealth case, which is scheduled for 10 January.

His lawyers announced connected Monday that Trump would entreaty the determination by Justice Juan Merchan ordering that the sentencing would proceed.

In tribunal filings, Trump's attorneys wrote they would question "a dismissal of this politically motivated prosecution that was flawed from the precise beginning".

Trump was recovered blameworthy connected 34 felony counts of falsifying concern records successful May 2024, making him the archetypal erstwhile president convicted of a crime.

The charges stemmed from Trump's effort to disguise reimbursements for a hush wealth outgo to an big movie prima arsenic ineligible expenses.

Trump pleaded not blameworthy and denied immoderate wrongdoing. His lawyers said that filing an entreaty should halt the transgression proceedings successful his New York case.

The sentencing had been delayed repeatedly by the 2024 statesmanlike predetermination and Trump's effort to person the lawsuit thrown retired based connected a assertion of statesmanlike immunity. Justice Merchan yet rejected the immunity statement successful December.

On 3 January, Justice Merchan issued an bid saying helium would determination up with the sentencing earlier Trump took office, but wrote that helium would not see immoderate condemnation of incarceration.

He ordered Trump to look virtually oregon in-person for the hearing.

"The American People elected President Trump with an overwhelming mandate that demands an contiguous extremity to the governmental weaponisation of our justness strategy and each of the remaining Witch Hunts," said Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump's statesmanlike transition.

Trump's squad has not publically commented connected whether the president-elect volition beryllium successful court, but successful its effect Monday day to the petition for a stay, the Manhattan territory attorney's bureau referred to "defendant's determination to look for sentencing virtually alternatively of successful person". The notation to a virtual proceeding was repeated again respective pages later.

In the response, the territory lawyer asked the justice to contradict Trump's petition for an contiguous enactment of his sentencing, and argued helium would not beryllium prejudiced by specified a decision.

The weeks aft the predetermination featured a flurry of ineligible filings from some Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the case, and Trump's ineligible team.

Bragg's bureau had antecedently indicated that they would not reason delaying Trump's sentencing until aft helium finishes his word successful office, 4 years from now.

But aft Justice Merchan decided to determination up with the sentencing, Bragg has asked the justice to proceed with the sentencing connected Friday.

In his bid past week, Justice Merchan wrote that "it is this court's steadfast content that lone by bringing finality to this matter" volition the ineligible quandaries astatine play beryllium resolved.

However, the justice near the doorway unfastened to the anticipation that Trump would question to entreaty the sentencing, penning that helium "must beryllium permitted to avail himself of each disposable appeal".