Trump's Lawyers Ask to Delay Sentencing Until After Election Day

NEW YORK—Defense attorneys for former President Donald Trump asked the Manhattan-based judge presiding over his hush money trial to delay sentencing until after the 2024 presidential election scheduled for Tuesday, November 5.  Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, Trump's defense attorneys, wrote to Judge Juan Merchan that the sentencing hearing for Trump on September 18 would be election interference. Previously, Merchan set the September 18 hearing for “the imposition of sentence or other proceedings as appropriate.” Judge Merchan already delayed sentencing in Trump's hush money trial from July 11 to review arguments from the Manhattan District Attorney's office and the defense counsel as to how a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling expanded presidential immunity.  Merchan is expected to rule on the defense's request to overturn Trump's guilty verdict and dismiss the case on September 16. Defense counsel for Trump alleges that some of the evidence used by prosecutors would be immunized under the expanded presidential immunity ruling. "[Setting] aside naked election-interference objectives, there is no valid countervailing reason for the court to keep the current sentencing date on the calendar," reads the attorneys' letter to the court. "There is no basis for continuing to rush." Trump's lawyers say that pushing back sentencing would allow him to appeal the rulings in the appropriate state and federal appellate courts. They also urged, once more, for Merchan to vacate the guilty verdicts and dismiss the case. Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a conspiracy to cover up an affair he had with AVN Hall of Famer Stormy Daniels at a 2006 golf tournament in Lake Tahoe. The jury in their verdict gave standing to the claim that Trump paid a six-figure sum through his former fixer, attorney Michael Cohen, to Stormy Daniels to stay quiet about their affair in a bid to sway the 2016 presidential election in his favor. Despite this, Blanche and Bove believe the case against Trump is flimsy and would be overturned on appeal. Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney who campaigned on putting Trump in prison, has maintained that the hush money case was solid and consistent.  The letter requesting sentencing be delayed comes after Merchan denied a third request by the defense to have him recuse himself from the case.