New York.- Donald Trump has asked the judge in his criminal case, in which he is accused of paying to conceal unfavorable information, to delay his sentencing until after the presidential election in November.
In a letter released Thursday, lawyers for the former president and current Republican nominee said sentencing Trump on Sept. 18, as scheduled — about seven weeks before Election Day — would amount to interference in the election.
Trump’s lawyers wrote that the delay will also give Trump time to consider his next steps after Judge Juan M. Merchan rules on Sept. 16, at the defense’s request, whether to vacate the verdict and dismiss the case because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s July ruling on presidential immunity.
“There is no basis for further haste,” Trump’s lawyers, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, wrote.
Blanche and Bove sent the letter to Merchan on Wednesday, after the judge rejected the defense’s latest request for him to withdraw from the case.
In the letter, Blanche and Bove reiterated the defense’s argument that the judge has a conflict of interest because his daughter works as a Democratic political consultant, and did so for Kamala Harris when she sought the presidential nomination in 2020. Harris is currently Trump’s Democratic rival in the presidential race.
By suspending sentencing until after the election, “the Court would reduce, if not eliminate, concerns regarding the integrity of any future proceedings,” the lawyers wrote.
The election is set for Nov. 5, but many states are allowing voters to cast ballots early, with some starting the process a few days before or after Trump’s Sept. 18 sentencing date.
Merchan, who has said he is confident in his ability to remain fair and impartial, has not ruled on the request for a delay.
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