NEW YORK (Diya TV) — President-elect Donald Trump received an unconditional dismissal Friday in the falsifying business records case against him, clearing the way for him to take office free of the prospect of jail time or fines. Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan, who could have sentenced the 78-year-old Republican to up to four years in prison, declined to impose any penalty.
In a brief virtual appearance from his Palm Beach, Florida home, Trump maintained his innocence in the case, calling the case a “political witch hunt” to damage his reputation. He said, “It’s been a political witch hunt. It was done to damage my reputation so that I would lose the election, and that didn’t work.”
This involved charges that Trump falsely reported business income to hide a $130,000 payoff made just before the 2016 election to silence adult film actress, Stormy Daniels, about an affair in which she alleges she had an affair with him. Trump has said nothing happened between him and Daniels.
Prosecutors charged Trump with orchestrating a coordinated effort to delegitimize the judicial system, pointing to his public attacks on the legal process. Yet, they voted in favor of the no-penalty sentence. Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass quipped, “The once and future President of the United States has engaged in.”
The trial judge was the Honorable Aileen Cannon. Judge Merchan recognized special constitutional protections for an incumbent president when he said, “Despite the extraordinary breadth of those.”
The conviction comes after a landmark trial that exposed Trump to the highest level of criminal litigation ever levied against a former president and serious presidential. Trump was convicted, meaning he is now the first convicted felon to serve as president of the United States of America.
After the sentence, Trump indicated that he was going to appeal the conviction and described the process as a “despicable charge.” He posted on his social network media, “This has been a very terrible experience.”
This case is the final piece of a complex legal landscape for Trump as he prepares to return to the White House on January 20, 2025. Among numerous legal challenges such as other indictments and civil lawsuits, this was the first criminal case that went to trial.
The unconditional discharge means Trump won’t face jail time, probation, or fines, allowing him to begin his second term without the immediate legal encumbrance of a conviction. However, the conviction is part of his record and may influence public perception and future legal considerations.