Trump’s hush money sentencing postponed over immunity ruling

A New York judge postponed Donald Trump’s sentencing until September 18 for charges arising from payment to a porn star into silence after the former US president requested a chance to argue that he should have been immune.

Sentencing had previously been set for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention begins in Milwaukee on July 15.

The new date released Tuesday means Trump will likely have been nominated by his party to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden by the time he is sentenced.

Judge Juan Merchan will now decide Trump’s punishment, including the possibility of imprisonment, in the midst of the general election campaign ahead of the November 5 vote.

Trump faces an uphill battle to get his money-hiding conviction overturned, as much of the conduct at issue in the case predates his time in office.

Lawyers for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said that argument was “without merit” but that they had no problem giving Trump the opportunity to argue his case.

In a landmark ruling Monday, a 6-3 majority of Supreme Court justices ruled that Trump cannot be prosecuted for actions in his constitutional capacity as president, but can be prosecuted for private acts.

The decision virtually guarantees that Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, will not face trial before the Nov. 5 election on other federal criminal charges related to his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

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