Judge delays Donald Trump’s sentencing in hush money case until after November election
‘The Court is a fair, impartial, and apolitical institution,’ the judge said, writing that his decision ‘should dispel any suggestion’ otherwise.
‘The Court is a fair, impartial, and apolitical institution,’ the judge said, writing that his decision ‘should dispel any suggestion’ otherwise.
North Carolina is a state Trump carried in both his previous campaigns but by less than 1.5 percentage points over Biden in 2020, the closest margin of any state Trump won.
Using all capital letters, Trump claimed the Supreme Court’s decision netted him ‘total exoneration’ in this and other criminal cases he faces.
The judge did leave in place a separate order that prohibits Trump and his lawyers from disclosing the identities of individual jurors or their home or work addresses.
Presentence reports include a defendant’s personal history, criminal record and recommendations for sentencing.
‘The fact, I think, that he has no remorse — quite the opposite, he continues to deny his guilt — is going to hurt him at sentencing.’
The political implications of the proceedings were unmistakable as President Joe Biden’s campaign staged an event outside the courthouse with actor Robert De Niro.
After the closing arguments are given, the judge will instruct the jury, likely Wednesday, on the law governing the case and the factors it can take into account during deliberations.
His attorneys, instead of mounting an effort to demonstrate Trump’s innocence to jurors, focused on attacking the credibility of the prosecution witnesses.
After jurors left for the day, defense attorney Todd Blanche told the judge that prosecutors failed to prove their case and that it should be thrown out immediately.