The Real Reason Judge Merchan Is Sentencing Trump on January 10
Matt Margolis | 11:55 AM on January 04, 2025
As we reported on Friday, Judge Merchan scheduled President-elect Donald J. Trump’s sentencing in the so-called “hush money” case on January 10, and indicated that jail time was never seriously on the table.
The entire case against Trump was absurd from the beginning. So much so that even CNN’s legal analyst Elie Honig declared last year that the case against Trump "was an ill-conceived, unjustified mess,” and accused prosecutors of contorting the law to rig the trial against Trump.
"Standing alone, falsification charges would have been mere misdemeanors under New York law, which posed two problems for the DA,” Honig explained. “First, nobody cares about a misdemeanor, and it would be laughable to bring the first-ever charge against a former president for a trifling offense that falls within the same technical criminal classification as shoplifting a Snapple and a bag of Cheetos from a bodega. Second, the statute of limitations on a misdemeanor — two years — likely has long expired on Trump’s conduct, which dates to 2016 and 2017."
Honig concluded that "the charges against Trump aren’t just unusual, they’re bespoke, seemingly crafted individually for the former president and nobody else."
Related: CNN Legal Analyst: Democrats Perverted the Law to Get Trump
So it took partisan prosecutor to bring the case, a partisan judge to rig the case, and a partisan jury to achieve a conviction over the bogus allegations.
“Today’s order by the deeply conflicted, Acting Justice Merchan in the Manhattan DA Witch Hunt is a direct violation of the Supreme Court’s Immunity decision and other longstanding jurisprudence,” incoming White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement received by PJ Media. “This lawless case should have never been brought and the Constitution demands that it be immediately dismissed. President Trump must be allowed to continue the Presidential Transition process and to execute the vital duties of the presidency, unobstructed by the remains of this or any remnants of the Witch Hunts. There should be no sentencing, and President Trump will continue fighting against these hoaxes until they are all dead.”
The question is, why did Merchan schedule the sentencing for January 10?
Law professor Jonathan Turley has the answer.
“Judge Merchan just set Trump for a sentencing shortly before his inauguration. As some of us predicted, he is indicating that he will impose an unconditional discharge without jail or probation,” Turley wrote in a thread on X. “The sentence will finalize the case and allow for an appeal.
However, it would also label the President-elect a convicted felon just before he is sworn into office. It is the final cathartic act for lawfare warriors."
“Merchan will supply the talking point for the inauguration coverage as reporters repeat the mantra of the historic status of Trump being sworn in as a convicted felon,” Turley continued.There is, however, a silver lining.
“Yet, we will also finally be able to see an appeal of his case. While there are low expectations for the New York court system, the sentencing will allow the full array of alleged errors by Merchan to be placed before appellate judges,” Turley explained.
https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2025/01/04/the-real-reason-judge-merchan-is-sentencing-trump-on-january-10-n4935661
