Hush money affair

Trump trial postponed indefinitely

US President-elect Donald Trump and porn star Stormy Daniels

(Bild: APA/AFP/TIMOTHY A. CLARY, APA/Getty IMAGES/Ethan, Krone KREATIV)

The announcement of the sentence in the hush money trial against US President-elect Donald Trump has been postponed indefinitely.

A possible date for the sentence, originally planned for next Tuesday, can now only be announced after new deadlines for motions by the parties have passed. Judge Juan Merchan in New York set this for the beginning of December, according to court documents.

Trump's lawyers want the ruling to be overturned - the judge gave the lawyers until December 2 to file a motion to this effect. The public prosecutor's office then has until December 9 to respond. They had previously stated that they wanted to uphold the sentence, but were open to postponing the sentencing until after Trump's second term in office in 2029. If the sentence remains in place, Trump would become the first convicted felon in US history to move into the White House. With Friday's decision, it seems less likely that a sentence will be handed down in the case before Trump takes office on January 20.

Guilty on 34 counts
Jurors in New York found Trump guilty on 34 counts at the end of May. The trial concerned the illegal concealment of 130,000 dollars in hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels in order to gain advantages during the 2016 election campaign. It was the first time in the history of the United States that a former president was convicted of a criminal offense. At the beginning of November, Trump was the first convicted felon to be elected US President.

The sentence was originally due to be announced in mid-September. However, Judge Merchan then granted Trump's request that the sentence not be announced until after the presidential election. In the worst case scenario, Trump would face several years in prison. However, many observers had considered a suspended sentence or fine to be much more likely.

Presidential office will protect Trump in further proceedings
Further proceedings are still ongoing against Trump - but it is already foreseeable that they will come to nothing, one way or another, with his election as US president. These include the proceedings in Washington, in which Trump was charged in connection with attempted electoral fraud and the storming of the US Capitol by his supporters on 6 January 2021. Special prosecutor Jack Smith wants to decide by December 2 how to proceed in the case.

Trump's lawyers had requested that Trump's conviction and thus also the pending sentencing be annulled. They referred to a decision by the Supreme Court in July, which had granted Trump and all presidents in general far-reaching protection against criminal prosecution.

Jury finds Trump guilty
At the end of May, the former president was found guilty by the New York jury of falsifying business documents in order to cover up the hush money payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels. This makes him the first ex-US president in history to be convicted of a criminal offense.