Trump sentenced to ‘unconditional discharge,’ NYC judge wishes him ‘Godspeed’

CV NEWS FEED // Acting New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan Friday sentenced President-elect Donald Trump to “unconditional discharge.” 

The sentence means that Trump, who begins his second term in just over a week, will face no jail time, fines, or other penalties in connection with a highly controversial and unprecedented May 2024 conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. 

The sentencing nonetheless officially confirms Trump’s status as a “convicted felon” – a label which opponents hoped would hamper his 2024 presidential campaign, and which instead became a rallying cry among his supporters. 

“Therefore, at this time, I impose that sentence to cover all 34 counts,” Merchan said from a New York City courtroom. “Sir, I wish you godspeed as you assume your second term in office.”

A chorus of observers, including many Democrats, have expressed that the Manhattan “hush money” case against Trump was politically motivated and should not have been brought in the first place.

The Associated Press (AP) reported that granting unconditional discharge to a convicted defendant “is rare for felony convictions.” Merchan “said that he had to respect Trump’s upcoming legal protections as president, while also giving due consideration to the jury’s decision,” the AP’s report added.

Also according to the AP, Merchan “could have sentenced” Trump “to up to four years in prison” but instead “chose a sentence that sidestepped thorny constitutional issues by effectively ending the case.”

Before Merchan read his sentence to Trump, he allowed the president-elect to take the courtroom floor. During his remarks, the incoming president continued to maintain his innocence – a stance he has consistently held since the case was first brought against him.

“With all that’s happening in our country today, with a city that’s burning to the ground,” Trump said, referring to the series of ongoing fires devastating the Los Angeles area, “with wars that are uncontrollably going on, with all of the problems of inflation … I got indicted over calling a legal expense a legal expense.”

“I think it’s an embarrassment to New York,” Trump said, arguing that the Biden administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) was “very much involved in this case.”

Joshua Steinglass, an assistant district attorney for the office of Democratic New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg, said Friday that “the American public has the right to a presidency unencumbered by pending court proceedings or ongoing sentence-related obligations.”

“But imposing that sentence ensures that finality. Sentencing the defendant permits this court to enter judgement, to cement the defendant’s status as a convicted felon while he pursues whatever appeals he intends to pursue,” continued Steinglass, who was a member of the team of attorneys prosecuting Trump in the case.

The prosecutor’s remarks prompted many critics to assert that the purpose of sentencing Trump without a penalty was largely to affirm his “convicted felon” status.