U.S. court sentences President-elect Donald Trump in hush money case

Judge Juan Merchan has handed down a sentence to convicted U.S. President-elect Donald Trump: unconditional discharge on all 34 charges, as expected. Mr Trump will assume power as U.S. president on January 20 as a convicted felon. Mr Trump has fought tooth and nail to have his conviction overturned with a last-minute hearing at the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the sentencing. The ruling, delivered by Justice Juan Merchan, spares Mr Trump from any jail time or probation. “I wish you godspeed as you assume your second term in office,” Mr  Merchan said during the proceedings. He described the unconditional discharge as “the only lawful sentence, without encroaching upon the highest office of the land.”  
The case stems from allegations that Mr Trump directed illegal payments to silence individuals with damaging claims about him during his 2016 presidential campaign. Prosecutors accused him of falsifying business records to conceal the payments, which violated campaign finance laws. The New York Times reports that the hearing began shortly after 9:30 a.m. in a Lower Manhattan courtroom, where Mr Trump appeared virtually from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. “This has been a very terrible experience,” Mr Trump said during the hearing. He described the case as a “tremendous setback” for New York’s judiciary but maintained his innocence, stating, “The fact is, I’m totally innocent.” Tying the case to his ongoing presidential campaign, he added that voters “got to see this firsthand,” reiterating his claims of political interference.  Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass outlined what he called “overwhelming evidence” against Mr Trump but supported the recommendation for an unconditional discharge.
While lenient, the sentence drew sharp criticism from Mr Steinglass, who accused Mr Trump of undermining public trust in the justice system. “Far from expressing any kind of remorse for his criminal conduct, the defendant has purposefully bred disdain for our institutions and the rule of law,” Mr Steinglass said. He added that Mr Trump’s actions had caused lasting damage to public confidence and endangered court personnel. Mr Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, contested the prosecutor’s remarks, reiterating the president-elect’s frequent claim that the case was politically motivated. “This is a sad day for the Trump family and the country,” Mr Blanche said, arguing the case amounted to election interference.   Although the sentence avoids immediate legal consequences for Mr Trump, it marks an unprecedented moment in U.S. history as the president-elect prepares to take office amid ongoing legal controversies.