The postponement of former President Trump's sentencing and its impact on the 2024 US election

The postponement of the sentencing of former US President Donald Trump in the hush money case opens up the possibility of a reversal of the indictment and is expected to have a significant impact on the 2024 US election.

Former US President Donald Trump attends a court hearing in New York on May 29. (Source: NY Times)

On July 2, a New York court judge postponed sentencing for Donald Trump in the hush money case until September 18, less than 7 weeks before the presidential election.

The decision came after the US Supreme Court ruled that presidents enjoy immunity from prosecution while performing official duties.

Ability to overturn indictment

Mr Trump's legal team cited the Supreme Court's decision in a letter to Judge Juan Merchant asking for a delay in sentencing, which was scheduled for July 11.

Trump's lawyers argued they needed time to build their case, aiming to overturn the entire 34-count indictment on falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to an adult film actress.

Prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said Mr. Trump's arguments were "baseless," but agreed to postpone sentencing to give the former president a chance to present his case.

Mr. Merchant said the sentencing would be postponed until at least September 18, less than two months before the November 5 election.

Prosecutors allege Mr. Trump falsified business records to conceal $130,000 in payments his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, made to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence about an extramarital affair she had with Mr. Trump in 2006. They have linked the payments to a broader scheme to influence the 2016 presidential election.

In a letter to Judge Mercan, Mr. Trump’s lawyers argued that, during the trial, prosecutors introduced evidence related to Mr. Trump’s official actions as president, including social media posts and conversations he had while in the White House, which the lawyers said should have been protected under presidential immunity under the Supreme Court’s July 1 ruling.

According to the US Supreme Court's ruling, the president enjoys absolute immunity from all official acts within the framework of his constitutional powers. Evidence related to the president's official acts is also not allowed to be used in court.

However, US presidents can still be prosecuted for wrongdoing if they act in their personal capacity. The ruling does not distinguish between official and personal actions of the president, leaving that to lower courts.

The judges’ majority (6-3) ruling determined that presidents have “absolute immunity” from criminal liability for any actions within their “core constitutional rights.” The majority opinion said that evidence related to such official actions may not be introduced at trial.

However, the ruling was criticized by the court's three liberal justices, who said presidents could still be prosecuted for actions outside that authority.

In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned that the decision gave a “green light” to “nightmare scenarios,” including the possibility of immunity from assassination.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor opined: “For any exercise of official power, the president is now a king above the law.”

Good news from Mr. Trump

The Supreme Court's ruling is welcome news for Mr Trump, who faces three additional criminal trials.

This is considered the most difficult legal argument in the main case related to Mr. Trump's attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election after his defeat to incumbent President Joe Biden.

The ruling could also affect a state trial in Georgia over efforts to pressure state officials to overturn the 2020 vote count and a second federal trial over Mr. Trump’s alleged storage of classified White House documents at his Florida residence.

Still, the New York hush-money trial is the only one expected to conclude before the 2024 election, and its outcome could have a significant impact on voters' final decisions.

While the initial guilty verdict did not make a big difference in support for Mr. Trump, analysts warned that a harsh sentence could cost the Republican candidate support from some voters.

Judge Mercan's ruling came five days after President Biden had a poor performance in the first debate with Mr. Trump.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Mr. Biden will have his first post-debate interview with ABC News on July 5 and will hold a press conference at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) conference next week. At the same time, Ms. Karine Jean-Pierre also affirmed that Mr. Biden has no intention of dropping out of the race.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/viec-hoan-tuyen-an-cuu-tong-thong-trump-va-tac-dong-den-bau-cu-my-2024-277280.html