11
Jan
Jan
US PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP DECLARED CONVICTED FELON IN “HUSH MONEY” CASE
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Nicolas Adekeye / 2 weeks
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- 2 min read
US President-elect Donald Trump has been sentenced in his “hush money” criminal case in New York, just ten days before he is scheduled to take office. Judge Juan Merchan announced on Friday that an unconditional discharge has been affirmed as appropriate, imposing no penalties but creating the status of convicted felon as Trump appeals. Trump was charged in 2023 with misreporting “hush money” payments made to adult actress Stormy Daniels in 2017. He was found guilty on all 34 felony counts in May. The US Supreme Court ruled in July that official actions taken by a president while in office cannot be prosecuted, but Judge Merchan rejected this ruling last month. In a statement, Trump maintained his innocence, saying “I am innocent of all of the Judge’s made up, fake charges… This was nothing other than Weaponization of our Justice System against a Political Opponent. It’s called Lawfare, and nothing like this has ever happened in the United States of America, and it should never be allowed to happen again”. The US Supreme Court denied Trump’s motion to stop the proceedings on Thursday, clearing the way for Merchan to hold the virtual hearing on Friday. Trump has long maintained that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was acting on behalf of President Joe Biden by bringing the case. Trump is scheduled to be sworn in as the 47th US president on January 20, after winning both the popular vote and the electoral college victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in November.