Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is probably down at the local bar tossing back some fru-fru drink to drown his sorrows after finding out that Judge Juan Merchan, who is handling the hush money case against President-elect Donald Trump in which he was convicted of 34 felony counts, signaling on Friday he’s open to dismissing the case entirely. Merchan delivered a ruling that essentially stays the trial indefinitely, a move that has leftists falling to their knees in despair.
According to an article from CNN, Merchan adjourned the sentencing hearing in the case, which is the third time he has done so over the course of the last several weeks. Merchan had originally imposed a Nov. 12 date for issuing a punishment for Trump after a jury convicted him on 34 counts of concealing records concerning payments made to former porn star Stormy Daniels in order to silence rumors the two had an affair before the 2016 election.
The legal team representing the now president-elect fought tooth-and-nail against the conviction, making the case that the Supreme Court’s ruling on immunity applies to Trump due to his not reimbursing Michael Cohen for the payment that was made to Daniels until he was in office. Any action taken in an official capacity as president is protected from prosecution
In the ruling on Friday, the judge seemingly agreed the case was ultimately not going anywhere.
“On November 19, 2024, this Court received separate submissions from Defendant and the District Attorney of New York County seeking various forms of relief in connection with the above-captioned matter,” Merchan wrote, granting the filing of a motion to dismiss and stay sentencing until all parties have submitted their motions. Additionally, the November 26th deadline set for next week is adjourned. “The above constitutes the Decision and Order of the Court,” Merchan concluded.
The decision effectively brings to an end the only criminal case where Trump was convicted, and the first to be brought against a current or former president. Bragg, a frequent nemesis of Trump, requested this week that Judge Merchan delay the sentencing until after Trump leaves the White House, a desperate ploy to outflank defense attorneys who argued the sentence would interfere with Trump’s ability to serve as president. Merchan has exhibited animus with Trump as well, admonishing him in court for scoffing during proceedings or making extrajudicial statements to the media. Court observers said last week the 62-year-old judge was furious about previously being forced to delay sentencing.
“Merchan doesn’t have the stomach to imprison a former president or president-elect,” former prosecutor Neama Rahmani went on to say. “Now that Trump has won, his criminal problems go away.”
“Trump, who made a habit of excoriating both Merchan and Bragg from his Truth Social account, has been virtually silent about the case since the election, a tacit acknowledgment that it’s no longer worth his time. Instead, the president-elect has starved the case of media attention by announcing a flurry of administrative appointments that have overwhelmed the 24-hour news cycle for nearly three straight weeks,” the article concluded.
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