President-elect Donald Trump’s six-year term New York’s criminal odyssey He may have to continue for at least four more, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Lawyers for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg wrote in a letter to Judge Juan Mercan that Trump should not be sentenced for his crimes until he finishes his second term. That would be the year 2029, more than a decade after the investigation into Trump’s cover-up of a “hush money” payment began.
“Given the need to balance competing constitutional interests, consideration should be given to various non-removal options that may address any concerns raised by pending post-trial criminal proceedings during the presidency, such as postponement of all remaining criminal proceedings until after the end of the defendant’s next presidential term,” the filing states.
Merchan had been should rule on November 12 on whether presidential immunity should have prevented jurors from seeing some evidence during Trump’s trial this spring, but he postponed his decision. Merchan said he wanted to hear from prosecutors on how to proceed with the case, which entered uncharted territory when Trump was re-elected president.
Trump is the first person in American history to win the presidency after being convicted of crimes. He was also the first former president to to be tried for crimes.
Trump promised a few minutes later the unanimous jury found him guilty of crimes in May to fight his conviction. Weeks later, the The Supreme Court rules that former presidents are immune prosecutions for official acts and that evidence related to Trump’s work as president could not be used at trial.
Trump’s lawyers argued the Supreme Court’s decision meant that the conviction had to be overturnedand his conviction overturned. They said jurors heard testimony from former White House employees that should have been barred during the trial. The legal team was led by Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, whom Trump announced he would nominate next year to senior positions within the U.S. Department of Justice.
Bragg’s office argued that the material challenged by Trump’s team constituted “a mountain fragment” of evidence that the jury considered — so small that it should not mean overturning the jury’s decision.
The jury found that Trump has committed 34 crimeslargely by authorizing a plan to hide reimbursements to Michael Cohenhis former lawyer and fixer. Cohen paid adult film star $130,000 Stormy Danielsdays before the 2016 presidential election, in exchange for her silence about an alleged sexual relationship with Trump. The payment has often been referred to as a “hush money” payment.
Trump insists he is not guilty of falsifying business records — the charge he was convicted of — and has vehemently denied Daniels’ story.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, then led by Cyrus Vance Jr., began investigating the “hush money” deal in 2018. It quickly expanded to an in-depth investigation into Trump’s finances. Trump attacked the investigation during his first presidency, fighting a Supreme Court subpoena, which in a landmark 2020 ruling allowed the office to obtain Trump’s tax returns.
When Bragg took office in 2022, he streamlined the investigation and refocused it on the “hush money” deal. A grand jury indicted Trump on March 31, 2023, and his trial began in April of this year.
The trial, which lasted seven weeks, ended with his conviction. The jury deliberated for less than two days.
After hearing from the perpetrators 34 times, Trump turned around, shook his son Eric’s hand for a moment and left the courtroom.
Prosecutors were still packing their briefcases as Trump’s voice could be heard just beyond the doors.
He denounced this affair and campaigned for a return to the White House.
