President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced in a hush money case, but the judge decided not to impose any punishment, marking the end of an unprecedented case that saw a former president facing criminal charges.
The judge’s ruling balanced the jury’s verdict and presidential immunity, ensuring that Trump would not face jail time despite being convicted of all counts by a jury.
The big picture: Trump, who appeared virtually from his home in Palm Beach, Florida, maintained his innocence and called the case a political witch hunt designed to damage his reputation.
- The sentencing, known as an unconditional discharge, concluded a case in which Trump was accused of paying off porn actor Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged affair during his 2016 campaign.
- Prosecutors supported the no-penalty sentence but criticized Trump for attacking the legal system and undermining the jury’s verdict.
Go deeper: The sentencing judge, Merchan, highlighted the need to balance Trump’s governance, the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling, the jury’s verdict, and the principle that no one is above the law.
- Trump’s lawyers had tried various legal maneuvers to overturn the conviction, including invoking presidential immunity, but a Supreme Court ruling declined to delay the sentencing.
