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A judge has ordered Donald Trump to be sentenced on January 10 in his impeachment trial in New York – less than two weeks before he is sworn in as president.
New York Judge Juan Merchan signed off on Trump’s extradition order, where the case is closed without jail time, fines or probation, and that the president-elect can appear in person or face trial.
The case stems from Trump being found guilty in May of 34 counts of corporate fraud in connection with a $130,000 payment to movie star Stormy Daniels.
Trump tried to use his victory in the presidential election to drop impeachment charges.
The ruling stemmed from Trump’s attempt to cover up payments to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who in the final days of the 2016 election campaign paid a major movie executive to keep quiet about Trump’s sexual relationship.
The president-elect has denied all wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty, saying the case is aimed at damaging his 2024 presidential campaign.
In his latest statement in opposition to the lawsuit, Trump’s defense argued that the lawsuit would weigh on him during his presidency and prevent him from governing.
The judge was advised that there are a number of steps he could take that would ease Trump’s concerns about being tainted by a criminal trial while serving as a president who had failed in a “big way” to overturn the jury’s decision.
Justice Merchan was weighing options, which include delaying sentencing until after Trump, 78, leaves the White House in 2029, or upholding a sentence that would not include prison time.
Trump initially, and unsuccessfully, argued that the impeachment case violated the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity in his first decision to dismiss the case.
In July, the country’s highest court ruled that presidents have immunity from prosecution for “acts” they commit while in office.
However, last month Justice Merchan ruled that Trump’s financial decision was legal.
His sentencing on January 10 will make him the first criminal to serve in the White House.
Although falsifying a business record is punishable by up to four years in prison in the US, there is no minimum sentence and no jail time is required.
Even before he won the election, legal experts thought it was unlikely that Trump would serve time in prison because of his age and history.
Trumpet he was also charged with three other federal and state crimes: one related to confidential documents and two related to his alleged intention to reverse his loss in the 2020 elections.
The president-elect was originally scheduled to be sentenced on November 26, but Justice Merchan pushed the date back after Trump won the presidential election.
A spokesman for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
