President-elect Donald Trump’s bid to toss his “hush money” case was denied Friday by a Manhattan judge — who scheduled sentencing for 10 days before the inauguration.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan kept intact the jury verdict finding Trump guilty on 34 felonies for concealing a payoff that hid a sex scandal before the 2016 presidential election — rejecting his claim that the case should vanish because voters elected him to a second term.
He set Trump’s sentencing for Jan. 10 — noting it was in the public’s best interest to bring closure to the case before Inauguration Day.
“Finding no legal impediment to sentencing and recognizing that Presidential immunity will likely attach once Defendant takes his Oath of Office, it is incumbent upon this Court to set this matter down for the imposition of sentence prior to January 20, 2025,” Merchan wrote in a highly-anticipated decision.
“It is this Court’s firm belief that only by bringing finality to this matter will all three interests be served.”
