Donald Trump on Friday became the first former U.S. president to be sentenced for a crime, receiving the penalty-free sentence of unconditional discharge in his New York hush money case.
But before Judge Juan Merchan handed down the sentence, Trump — whose second presidential term begins later this month — was allowed to address the court. Criminal defendants often use such an opportunity to express remorse or take responsibility for their actions in an effort to receive a more lenient sentence.
That’s not what Trump did.
“This has been a very terrible experience,” Trump told the court while appearing virtually from Mar-a-Lago, his residence in Florida, alongside his attorney Todd Blanche.
Trump, who was convicted by a jury in May on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, said the legal fees in question weren’t handled by him, but rather by accountants.
“This has been a political witch hunt,” Trump continued, repeating his claim that prosecutors were politically motivated. He added: “I am totally innocent. I did nothing wrong. … I got indicted for calling a legal expense a legal expense.”
The jury in the case sided with prosecutors, who accused Trump of falsifying business records when he was a candidate in the 2016 presidential race to hide the purpose of reimbursements to his then-lawyer Michael Cohen, who paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about an alleged extramarital affair with Trump. (Trump denies the affair occurred.)
After Trump’s brief remarks Friday, Merchan sentenced him to unconditional discharge, calling it the “only lawful sentence that permits entry of a judgment of conviction without encroaching upon the highest office in the land.”
“Sir, I wish you Godspeed as you pursue your second term in office,” Merchan concluded.
Trump tried to block the sentencing but the Supreme Court ultimately rejected his bid Thursday. Later that day, the president-elect said he respected the court’s opinion but bashed Merchan in a Truth Social post that night, baselessly accusing the judge of being “highly conflicted” and “corrupt.”
“I am innocent of all of the Judge’s made up, fake charges. This was nothing other than Weaponization of our Justice System against a Political Opponent,” Trump wrote. (He was indicted by a state grand jury in this case — a judge doesn’t bring charges.)
He has vowed to appeal his conviction.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
