‘There is no good reason to sentence President Trump prior to November 5,’ his attorneys wrote.
Attorneys for former President Donald Trump asked the New York judge overseeing his sentencing later this month to postpone the date or any “substantiate orders,” citing activity in Trump’s separate federal case.
The former president in May was convicted by a jury on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Judge Juan Merchan set a July 11 sentencing date but later postponed it to Sept. 18. The judge will decide on Sept. 16 Trump’s request to set aside the jury’s verdict based on immunity claims.
In a letter to Merchan received by the court on Aug. 30, Trump’s attorneys asked that he hold off on issuing a sentencing decision before the November election, arguing that such a move would have an impact on voting.
The attorneys made reference to special counsel Jack Smith’s reworked indictment in Trump’s election interference case issued in response to a U.S. Supreme Court opinion in July that found presidents are immune from prosecution over their official acts.
“There is no good reason to sentence President Trump prior to November 5,” the letter stated.
Trump’s lawyers said the sentencing is on a “needlessly accelerated timeline”