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Jimmy Carter’s Funeral: Donald Trump, Barack Obama & More Leaders Attend
President Donald Trump’s legal journey has come to an end.
The 78-year-old’s hush money case in the state of New York—the only one of his four criminal cases, two of which were dismissed, that went to trial—came to a close on Jan. 10, at which time Judge Juan Merchan sentenced Trump to unconditional discharge, per NBC News, which means that the President will remain a felon, but will face no jail time, penalties or probation. The decision comes 10 days before Trump’s presidential inauguration.
In his sentencing, Merchan stressed that it was only the office of the president—and the protections and importance of that position—that swayed his decision to bestow that particular sentence.
“The only lawful sentence that permits entry of a judgment or conviction without encroaching upon the highest office of the land is an unconditional discharge,” the Judge said during the hearing, per CNN. “The considerable, indeed extraordinary, legal protections afforded the office of the chief executive is a factor that overrides all others. They do not reduce the seriousness of the crime or justify its commission in any way.”
He added, “It is the legal protections afforded to the office of the president of the United States that are extraordinary, not the occupant of the office.”
Trump, for his part, maintained his innocence, slamming the entire trial. "This has been a very terrible experience," Trump said, while speaking remotely from his home in Florida, per NBC News. “It was done to damage my reputation so I would lose the election. I am totally innocent. I did nothing wrong.”
JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
Trump’s legal team tried to stay the sentencing—which makes Trump the only president to have been sentenced on criminal charges—however the Supreme Court ruled in a narrow 5-4 decision on Jan. 9 to allow the proceedings.
Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche claimed the Manhattan district attorney’s office overstepped in its prosecution of Trump, noting in court, per NBC, “This is a case that without a doubt was brought by a district attorney who promised he would go after President Trump if elected, and he had to go through with that promise.
"It’s a very sad day,” the attorney added, while noting the president plans to appeal. “It’s a sad day for President Trump and his family and his friends, but it’s also, in counsel’s view, a sad day for this country.”
Mandel NGAN / AFP
Meanwhile, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass—while he recommended the unconditional discharge, noting, “We must be respectful of the office of the presidency,”—slammed Trump’s conduct throughout the trial, saying it “constitutes a direct attack on the rule of law itself.”
He added, per NBC, “This defendant has caused enduring damage to the public perception of the criminal justice system.”
(E! News and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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