Sentencing date in Trump's historic 'hush money' trial postponed

The sentencing hearing for former US President Donald Trump, which was set for July 11 following his conviction on all 34 felony counts in his historic "hush money" trial, has been postponed.

Trump's lawyers, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, requested to argue for the overturning of the conviction after the US Supreme Court ruled that Trump has "absolute immunity" for actions taken within his constitutional powers, while he does not have immunity for personal actions.

In a letter sent to Judge Juan Merchan, the lawyers argued that prosecutors had presented evidence in the case that included official acts, such as social media posts and speeches Trump made while president, stating, "Evidence regarding these official acts should never have been put before the jury."

According to the Supreme Court's ruling, prosecutors cannot use evidence related to official acts in criminal cases involving non-official acts.

Judge Juan Merchan, taking the request of Trump's lawyers into consideration, postponed the sentencing hearing to September 18 to give Trump a chance to present his defense.

In a statement released by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office, it was stated that Trump's claim was "without merit."

Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts by a 12-person jury on May 31 in the case where he was tried for paying "hush money" to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election and falsifying business records to cover up the payment. Trump, who went down in history as the first former US president to be found guilty by a jury in a criminal trial, had announced that he would appeal the decision after his sentence was announced.

News Source: İHA