A Manhattan jury convicted President-elect Donald Trump of 34 felonies last spring—but it’s becoming increasingly and dispiritingly clear that Trump won’t face consequences for those crimes, at least not for several years. On Tuesday, New York prosecutors proposed that Juan Merchan, the judge overseeing Trump’s case, delay the president-elect’s sentencing until after his term ends. That means Trump would not face jail time or probation until 2029, when he is 82 years old. And that’s the best case for the prosecution! Trump’s attorneys have argued that the case should be dismissed.
Trump’s multiple felony convictions do raise unprecedented legal questions as he’s the first president to carry such a criminal record. Merchan delayed Trump’s initial sentencing date from July until September, then postponed it until after the November 5 election. Trump’s attorneys now argue that his victory means the case should be thrown out and request that prosecutors drop it to avoid interfering with Trump’s responsibilities as president. Tuesday’s letter indicated that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is unwilling to do that. Merchan will decide whether to delay or dismiss the case. Trump’s lawyers could appeal anything short of a complete dismissal.
This is one of four legal cases that Trump appears to have dodged since winning a second term: Last week, Jack Smith announced that he is also winding down two cases against the president, related to the mishandling of classified documents and efforts to subvert the 2020 election. A third case in Georgia, related to election racketeering, has been on hold since June; legal experts expect Trump’s lawyers to make the same case for dismissal that they did in New York.
Trump’s New York felonies all relate to the 2016 cover-up of his relationship with adult film star Stormy Daniels when Trump was running for his first term. At the time, the president-elect directed one of his lawyers to pay Daniels $130,000 to keep the story of their affair quiet. Trump, a jury found, then falsified numerous business records to reimburse that lawyer and later pressured him not to cooperate with a federal investigation into the payments.
