Despite requests made before the U.S. Supreme Court this week, President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced on Friday morning in the hush money case. He appeared virtually. On May 30 of last year, Trump was found "guilty" of 34 felony counts in a heavily criticized case brought relentlessly by DA Alvin Bragg's office. Judge Juan Merchan, who has also been criticized for his conflicts of interest, insisted on still sentencing Trump, and the Supreme Court declined to block such a move. With Merchan sentencing Trump to unconditional discharge, with no jail time, Trump put out a statement claiming vindication, though he still had strong words for the "Radical Democrats."
"The Radical Democrats have lost another pathetic, unAmerican Witch Hunt. After spending tens of millions of dollars, wasting over 6 years of obsessive work that should have been spent on protecting New Yorkers from violent, rampant crime that is destroying the City and State, coordinating with the Biden/Harris Department of Injustice in lawless Weaponization, and bringing completely baseless, illegal, and fake charges against your 45th and 47th President, ME, I was given an UNCONDITIONAL DISCHARGE," Trump began, highlighting the "obsessive work" at play here. As Trump and his attorneys have highlighted before, New York, especially the city, has been particularly affected by prosecutors who seem to be soft-on-crime for anyone not named Trump.
The complaints are at the federal level, too, though, when it comes to prosecutors "coordinating with the Biden/Harris Department of Injustice in lawless Weaponization, and bringing completely baseless, illegal, and fake charges..."
Beyond the obvious "lawless Weaponization" at hand in this case, a former top official at the Biden-Harris Department of Justice, Matthew Colangelo, left his position at the DOJ to work as a prosecutor on this case.
But again, Trump also claimed victory and vindication. "That result alone proves that, as all Legal Scholars and Experts have said, THERE IS NO CASE, THERE WAS NEVER A CASE, and this whole Scam fully deserves to be DISMISSED," he continued to stress.
"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 continued, reminding how he still handily won last November, despite or perhaps even in part because of all this weaponization against him.
"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," Trump concluded, vowing to appeal. "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
The Radical Democrats have lost another pathetic, unAmerican Witch Hunt. After spending tens of millions of dollars, wasting over 6 years of obsessive work that should have been spent on protecting New Yorkers from violent, rampant crime that is destroying the City and State,…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 10, 2025
Friday's post responding to the sentencing is not the only time that Trump has directly said he'll appeal.
In response to the Supreme Court failing to block his sentencing, Trump made clear in a Truth Social post on Thursday night that he would appeal the conviction. The justices had pointed out that the president-elect can challenge the conviction "in the ordinary course on appeal."
I appreciate the time and effort of the United States Supreme Court in trying to remedy the great injustice done to me by the highly conflicted “Acting Justice,” who should not have been allowed to try this case. Every Legal Scholar stated, unequivocally, that this is a case that…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 10, 2025
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