American media reports that Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan will sentence Donald Trump in a case involving hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. The judge has requested Trump to appear in court to receive his sentence.
The case centers around a $130,000 payment made by Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to Daniels during the 2016 election campaign. The payment was allegedly made to keep Daniels from going public about an affair she claimed to have had with Trump, which he has consistently denied.
Judge Merchan announced last week that the sentencing ceremony for Trump’s hush money case will take place on January 21st, ten days before Trump’s inauguration. Trump is required to attend the session either in person or online.
Reacting to the decision, Trump stated, “Judge Merchan disrespects the Constitution so much that he issued an illegal order against me, your former president and newly elected president, to expose his and his family’s illegal conflict of interest.” Trump believes the case is a politically motivated attack against him, and he has accused the judge of issuing an “illegal gag order” to prevent him from exposing alleged conflicts of interest involving the judge and his family.
It is noteworthy that Donald Trump is accused of violating campaign finance laws in the United States by paying $130,000 to a film star as hush money. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office claims Trump incorrectly recorded the reimbursement to Cohen as legal expenses, thereby violating state election law. If Trump avoids getting re-arrested or committing any new offenses, the case will be dismissed. Essentially, it’s like a conditional release where he won’t face further legal consequences for this specific case as long as he stays out of trouble.
Trump has criticized the ruling, calling it a “rigged charade” and plans to appeal.
