Judge pushes back possible sentencing date in Trump hush money case

(The Center Square) – A New York judge on Friday moved the sentencing in Donald Trump's hush money case to after the presidential election to avoid any potential issues before American's pick their next leader Nov. 5.

Should the case have proceeded, Trump was set to be sentenced Sept. 18. Judge Juan Merchan granted Trump's request to push it back until after the election, but made it clear he was only doing so out of an overabundance of caution. Merchen set the sentencing date for Nov. 26

"The public's confidence in the integrity of our judicial system demands a sentencing hearing that is entirely focused on the verdict of the jury and the weighing of aggravating and mitigating factors free from distraction or distortion," Merchan wrote. "The members of this jury served diligently on this case, and their verdict must be respected and addressed in a manner that is not diluted by the enormity of the upcoming presidential election. Likewise, if one is necessary, the Defendant has the right to a sentencing hearing that respects and protects his constitutional rights."

The judge said timing was a factor in the decision.

"Unfortunately, we are now at a place in time that is fraught with complexities rendering the requirements of a sentencing hearing, should one be necessary, difficult to execute," Merchan wrote. "The imposition of sentence will be adjourned to avoid any appearance – however unwarranted – that the proceeding has been affected by or seeks to affect the approaching Presidential election in which the Defendant is a candidate. The Court is a fair, impartial, and apolitical institution."

On May 30, a jury convicted Trump on all counts in his hush-money case, a history-making verdict. Trump was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records for disguising hush money payments to an adult film actress as legal costs ahead of the 2016 election.

Under New York state law, falsifying business records in the first degree is a Class E felony punishable by a maximum of four years in prison.

Trump has blamed his political enemies for his criminal and civil legal troubles.