US President-elect Donald Trump on Friday received an unconditional discharge sentence relating to his hush-money conviction, making him the first person first felony convict to assume the presidency.
The Republican was accused that he manipulated business documents to hide a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claimed to have relations with Trump in 2006. However, Trump denies these allegations, stating the prosecution has political motivations.
Trump attended the sentencing remotely from his Florida club. While delivering the sentence, Judge Juan M Merchan said that despite Trump’s substantial legal protections, these do not invalidate the jury’s decision.
The President-elect called the case against him a “political witch hunt” and described it as “a very terrible experience”
“This has been a very terrible experience. I think it’s been a set back for New York and New York court system. This is case that Alvin Bragg did not want to bring. It’s been a political witch hunt, it was done to damage my reputation,” said Trump.
He further said that legal fees were not put down by him, but by his accountants.
“Legal fees were put down as legal expenses by accountants; they weren’t put down by me. They didn’t call them construction, concrete work. They called a legal expenses a legal expense and for this I got indicted. It’s incredible actually,” he said.
He also mentioned his 2024 election victory and said that he won the popular vote by “millions and millions of votes” and won all seven swing states.
He then criticized his former lawyer Michael Cohen, referring to past remarks. “He was allowed to talk like he was George Washington, but he’s not George Washignton,” said Trump.
He then said that he is totally innocent and did nothing wrong.
Later, Trump in a post on Truth Social said that the ‘radical Democrats’ have lost “another pathetic, unAmerican Witch Hunt”.
“The real Jury, the American People, have spoken, by Re-Electing me with an overwhelming MANDATE in one of the most consequential Elections in History. As the American People have seen, this ‘case’ had no crime, no damages, no proof, no facts, no Law, only a highly conflicted Judge, a star witness who is a disbarred, disgraced, serial perjurer, and criminal Election Interference,” Trump said.
“Today’s event was a despicable charade, and now that it is over, we will appeal this Hoax, which has no merit, and restore the trust of Americans in our once great System of Justice,” he added.
