Judge Juan Merchan has denied Trump's motion for recusal in his ongoing case, signaling his intention to sentence Trump on September 18, just two days after early voting begins in Pennsylvania. This move is widely seen as a politically motivated attempt to damage Trump's presidential campaign.
Despite the Supreme Court's recent ruling that former presidents are presumptively immune from criminal prosecution for official acts, Judge Juan Merchan has denied Donald Trump's motion that he recuse himself from the Manhattan District Attorney's case against the former president.
Merchan's decision comes as no surprise, as he had previously denied Trump's recusal motion and signaled that he intends to sentence the former president on September 18, just two days after early voting begins in Pennsylvania. This timing is seen as a clear attempt to influence the upcoming presidential election.
Merchan Delays Trump Sentencing, Likely to Bolster Democrat's Election Strategy
Trump's defense team has argued that the guilty verdicts against him should be thrown out based on the Supreme Court's immunity ruling. They have also argued that Merchan should recuse himself due to his daughter's lucrative political work for Vice President Kamala Harris, who has replaced President Biden as Trump's Democratic opponent in the upcoming election.
Merchan, however, denied the recusal motion and said he plans to rule on Trump's immunity claim by August 16. He also admonished the parties to prepare for the imposition of sentence on September 18, indicating that he intends to deny Trump's immunity motion and impose a prison sentence against him.
Merchan Delays Trump Sentencing, Likely to Bolster Democrat's Election Strategy
Experts believe that Merchan's decision is politically motivated and that he will rationalize his ruling by claiming that Trump was not charged based on official presidential acts or that he would have been convicted even if arguably immunized evidence had not been introduced.
However, Trump's legal team believes that another recent Supreme Court ruling, Erlinger v. United States, will bolster their eventual appeal. This ruling reaffirmed that important proof elements affecting the potential sentence must be found unanimously by the jury. Merchan denied Trump the right to a unanimous verdict on the supposed crime that prosecutors alleged he was trying to conceal by falsifying his business records.
Merchan Delays Trump Sentencing, Likely to Bolster Democrat's Election Strategy
The New York prosecution of Trump has been widely criticized as politically motivated, with the prosecutors and the judge appearing more concerned with damaging Trump's reputation than ensuring justice. The objective is to enable Vice President Harris and the media-Democratic complex to label Trump "a convicted felon sentenced to prison" just weeks before Election Day.
However, it is unlikely that Merchan will actually send Trump to prison. It is virtually certain that Trump will get bail pending appeal, allowing Merchan to impose a stiff incarceration sentence without any real incarceration.
Prepare for Merchan to deny Trump's immunity claim and strap in for sentencing on September 18, a move that is clearly intended to influence the upcoming presidential election.
