A United States, US, judge on Friday sentenced Donald Trump to an unconditional discharge for his role in covering up hush money payments to a porn st
A United States, US, judge on Friday sentenced Donald Trump to an unconditional discharge for his role in covering up hush money payments to a porn star, despite his last-minute attempts to avoid becoming the first convicted felon to occupy the White House.
“This court has determined that the only lawful sentence that permits entry of a judgment of conviction without encroaching on the highest office of the land, is an unconditional discharge,” stated New York judge Juan Merchan during the court session, which Trump attended virtually.
An unconditional discharge means that Trump will not face fines, probation, or jail time.
Merchan delivered the ruling on Friday, one day after the US Supreme Court rejected Trump’s legal team’s request to postpone sentencing until after the Republican leader’s inauguration on January 20.
Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2021, was convicted in May 2024 on 34 counts of falsifying business documents related to hush-money payments made to Stormy Daniels, among other issues.
The US president-elect has denied any wrongdoing and announced plans to appeal the conviction.
During Friday’s sentencing, Trump, who appeared virtually, described his criminal trial and conviction as a terrible experience and reiterated his innocence.
“It’s been a political witch hunt,” he said before the judge’s decision.
“It was done to damage my reputation so I would lose the election, and obviously that didn’t work.”
Prosecutors in New York had argued that the hush-money payments were made to cover up allegations of a sexual affair with Daniels, which could have been politically damaging.
Trump, who pleaded not guilty, has denied any such affair occurred.
Trump’s legal team had asked the Supreme Court to delay the sentencing, arguing it would cause significant injustice and harm to the presidency and federal government. They cited a 2024 ruling granting presidents broad immunity from criminal prosecution and contended that some evidence in the case should not have been introduced.
However, the majority of the US Supreme Court justices ruled on Thursday that any alleged evidentiary violations could be addressed through the normal appeals process. They also stated that the burden that sentencing will impose on Trump’s responsibilities is relatively insubstantial considering the court’s intent to issue a sentence of unconditional discharge after a brief virtual hearing.
According to New York’s penal code, a court may impose an unconditional discharge if it believes that no beneficial purpose would be served by imposing conditions on the defendant’s release.
