Trump Expresses Feelings of Unfair and Unlawful Treatment Following Affirmation of Hush Money Conviction by Judge
Headline
Trump Expresses Feelings of Unfair and Unlawful Treatment Following Affirmation of Hush Money Conviction by Judge
In recent social media posts on Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump critiqued the U.S. judicial system, alleging that no president has ever been "maliciously and unlawfully treated" as he has, following Judge Juan Merchan's upholding of Trump's guilty verdict in his hush money case and setting his sentencing date.
Facts
Trump expressed his thoughts on Truth Social, stating that "biased judges" are "so blinded by their hatred towards me and my political beliefs" that they have "turned the U.S. judicial system into a farce."
On Friday, Merchan refused to dismiss Trump's conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records, clarifying that Trump's sentencing on January 10 would not interfere with his upcoming presidency.
In an earlier post on Truth Social, Trump proclaimed his innocence and claimed the charges against him were fabricated by Merchan, whom he criticized as "the most conflicted judge in New York State history" and suggested should be disbarred.
Trump also denounced New York's justice system as "corrupt," asserting that the "corrupt" courts are "the reason why people, and businesses, are leaving" the state.
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Quotable
"No president has ever been treated as wickedly and unlawfully as I have," Trump wrote, adding, "Corrupt Democratic judges and prosecutors have pursued a political rival of a president—me—at unparalleled levels of injustice." Trump has frequently accused the prosecutors in his legal cases, including his classified documents case, in which he accused the Department of Justice of conducting a "witch hunt" against him to undermine his presidential campaign. After Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump and his companies to pay $454 million for falsely inflating the value of his assets, Trump claimed the civil trial was an "election interference witch hunt."
Observations
Trump hinted at appealing Merchan's ruling, stating he "still have faith" in an appellate court to "restore justice to America." Trump can appeal the verdict after Merchan officially sentences him, according to the judge, though it's uncertain how long this process will take or whether it will proceed during Trump's presidency.
Sentencing Outlook
Merchan suggested that Trump would not face prison time, but he could still be fined up to $5,000 for each of the 34 counts, totaling $170,000.
Background
In May, a New York jury convicted Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, concluding a multi-week trial over hush money payments his former attorney Michael Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. During trial proceedings, prosecutors successfully argued that those payments—which Trump reimbursed Cohen for in 2017—were falsely categorized as being for legal services. Since then, Trump has maintained his innocence, and he has succeeded in postponing his sentencing after the Supreme Court ruled that Trump had some immunity from criminal prosecution for actions he took as president. Trump's sentencing was initially delayed from July to September and then until after the election, followed by an indefinite postponement after Trump's election victory in November.
After expressing his frustration on Truth Social, Donald Trump also targeted Juan Merchan, the judge in his hush money case, calling him "the most conflicted judge in New York State history" and suggesting disbarment. In the same vein, Juan Merchan, the same judge, dismissed Trump's claims to dismiss his conviction, saying that he would need to pay hush money fines up to $5,000 for each of the 34 counts if his sentencing, scheduled on January 10, upholds.