By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Appearing virtually from his Mar-a-Lago home on Friday, President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced in the New York “hush money” case and received an unconditional discharge. The sentence leaves him free of jail time, fines, or probation as he prepares for his inauguration on January 20. Justice Juan Merchan stated that the unconditional discharge was the only legal option available just days before Trump assumed the presidency. He called the case “truly extraordinary” and said that while the trial itself was not unusual, the sentencing circumstances were unique. He said legal protections were tied to the presidency, “not the occupant of the office.”

Trump offered no remorse during the hearing and later posted on social media, calling the case a “political witch hunt.” The case focused on a $130,000 payment made to an adult film actress during Trump’s 2016 campaign. Prosecutors argued that Trump falsified business records to hide the payment. Despite a conviction on 34 felony counts, Trump avoided any sanction, becoming the first president or president-elect to carry a felony conviction without immediate consequences.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass described Trump’s actions, accusing him of undermining the justice system. “Instead of preserving, protecting, and defending… a constitutionally established system of criminal justice… the defendant has engaged in a coordinated campaign to undermine its legitimacy,” he said. Steinglass also referred to threats against prosecutors and judges, which he argued were meant to intimidate. “Such threats are designed to have a chilling effect… because they fear that he is simply too powerful to be subjected to the same rule of law as the rest of us.”

Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) dismissed the case as baseless, writing that “the only crime committed in the fake New York case against President Trump was in that courtroom.” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) referred to the sentencing as “a cheap show” orchestrated by political opponents. Justice Merchan addressed Trump directly after the sentencing. “Sir, I wish you Godspeed as you pursue your second term in office,” he said.

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