NEW YORK—Millions of Americans are left wondering whether Donald Trump will be held accountable, even in the slightest degree, for his felon status in New York. A jury found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records in an election conspiracy to cover up payments to AVN Hall of Famer Stormy Daniels.
Justice Juan Merchan, the presiding New York Supreme Court Judge over the so-called “hush money” trial, has given Trump and his lawyers ample leeway in the months since to respect the process of the election.
Now, with a remarkable return to Washington, D.C., the now-president-elect could dodge criminal sentencing and likely see his convictions vacated as he ascends back to the pinnacle of national power.
AVN reported previously that Merchan accepted a bid by Trump’s defense counsel to postpone sentencing until after the 2024 Election—November 26.
A motion accepted by both the prosecution and defense at the time, the rescheduling of the sentencing hearing was to demonstrate the court’s respect for the official proceedings of the general election. However, any sentencing in the New York case could be non-existent.
This is why. The conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court ruled to broadly expand presidential immunity from prosecution for “official acts.”
After the ruling was handed down over the summer, Trump’s defense counsel started declaring that portions of the evidence used by the Manhattan District Attorney to prosecute the case were somehow covered by the new immunity doctrine.
Merchan, prosecutors, and legal observers—even ones who saw the District Attorney’s case as flimsy from the beginning—are unconvinced that any scheme to hush up Daniels was done in Trump's official capacity as president of the United States. Evidence suggests this to be personal.
The new presidential immunity doctrine, technically speaking, doesn't cover unofficial acts like running for the presidency or covering up an extramarital affair.
Criminal cases in Georgia and at the federal level are likely to stall, too, per Trump’s electoral victory over now-lame duck Vice President Kamala Harris.
This also recasts political power in the United States. Trump’s win is an indication of a hard right-wing shift driven by populism and hysteria around key culture war issues, such as the efforts to significantly restrict and/or outlaw legal porn.
In the context of presidential elections, the influence of pornography on outcomes has never been as pronounced as it is now, particularly highlighted by the hush money trial concerning Stormy Daniels and Project 2025's initiative to eliminate First Amendment protections for professionals in the adult industry.
