New York Judge Juan Merchan on Friday delayed Donald Trump‘s sentencing in the Stormy Daniels case until weeks after the November elections, in just the latest dramatic turn in the case.
The decision sets sentencing for November 26th. It had been scheduled for September 18th, which would have fallen just two months before election day.
Trump’s team had asked for a delay, while prosecutors had left the matter up to the judge’s discretion.
The judge, who Trump repeatedly attacked during his trial and again on Friday, has had told the parties he will make his decision on timing Friday. Trump faces up to four years in prison, although experts predict the first-time offender might not get any jail time.
Trump’s lawyers tried to have the case removed out of Merchan’s Manhattan courtroom and into federal court. They said Merchan shouldn’t sentence Trump while that matter is being litigated, and have alleged that fall sentencing amounts to ‘election interference.’
The decision in Trump’s favor came just hours after Trump once again attacked the judge, who he has accused of having a conflict in the case.
‘That case is a disgrace – should have never been allowed. I did nothing wrong,’ Trump said, in a prolonged press statement at Trump Tower where he also attacked New York Judge Arthur Engoron and female accusers who testified in the in the E. Jean Carroll case.
Trump once again accused the Justice Department of steering the case, which was decided a Manhattan jury. ‘It’s very corrupt in New York. It’s a very corrupt place.’
DA Alvin Bragg’s office had said the judge should decide, but said in a filing that Trump’s complaints about the timing of the case ‘are a function of his own strategic and dilatory litigation tactics.’
The high-stakes decision comes as Trump, who issued a combative press statement Friday, attended court in a separate case where his las lawyers are appealing a $5 million judgement against him in E. Jean Carroll’s defamation case.
Merchan had already postponed sentencing from an initial July 11 date amid the legal battle over whether Trump enjoys immunity from prosecution for official acts. Some of the evidence in the Stormy Daniels case show Trump signing checks for the final part of the porn star’s hush payments from the Oval Office.
Trump’s move to appear in the Carroll appeal case came a day after he decided not to show up in a court hearing in Washington, D.C. about the status of his January 6 case.
In that case, he had lawyer John Lauro communicate his ‘not guilty’ plea related to his election overturn effort.
In the Stormy Daniels hush money case, Trump’s team has tried to delay sentencing on two occasions.
He was convicted in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payoffs to the porn star.
Trump has repeatedly attacked the case, and on Thursday evening accused election rival Kamala Harris of engineering it. (Trump previously accused President Joe Biden of being behind his prosecution).