NEW YORK—Donald J. Trump and his defense attorneys managed to delay sentencing in the New York hush money trial that resulted in his 34 felony guilty verdicts related to falsifying business records to cover up affairs with adult star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. After the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed down a sweeping ruling affirming the presidential immunity of current and former presidents, Trump's defense team and the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg agreed to a delay.
Trump was scheduled to be sentenced on July 11. However, Judge Juan Merchan delayed sentencing to September in a bid to resolve the claims of immunity Trump's attorneys claim he now has to evidence against him in the case of the "catch-and-kill" scheme involving Daniels and McDougal being paid off by Michael Cohen and the former publisher of tabloid National Enquirer, David Pecker and the now-defunct American Media, Inc. (AMI).
Prosecutors were able to link Trump to overseeing the conspiracy, leading a jury of New Yorkers to find him guilty on all felony counts. The former president wasn't expected to be put in prison. Rather, if sentencing still happens, Trump would likely be placed on supervised release, allowing him to continue to serve in his capacity as president if reelected in November. Despite that expectation, Trump's legal team was able to present an argument that the Supreme Court ruling expanding presidential immunity warranted additional review by Merchan.
Trump's legal team will challenge particular verdicts on charges that they say stem from his official activity as president. Nevertheless, there is skepticism in the legal community that it would be extremely challenging for Trump to claim that his enterprise to cover up his affair with Stormy Daniels fell under these prescribed parameters for immunity. Even though the immunity ruling greatly expands the power of the U.S. president, it provides a clear definition of what is "official" and "unofficial" conduct. "Unofficial" conduct, per the Supreme Court's decision, is what encompasses the Daniels affair.
This is a developing story.
