Trump Sentenced to Unconditional Release in New York Case: 5 Things to Know (Connecting the Dots: The U.S. Supreme Court, The Phi Beta Kappa Society, The Belizean Grove, Bohemian Club, The Robert Trent Jones Golf Club (Gainesville, VA) & Soros Funding, All Networking)
The
president-elect declared his innocence and decried the case as a political
‘witch-hunt.’
The
Epoch Times
By
Jack Phillips 1/10/2025 Updated:1/10/2025
President-elect
Donald Trump was sentenced
in New York on Jan. 10, more than six months after being found
guilty by a Manhattan jury of falsifying business records. When speaking in
court for the first time, he declared his innocence.
Justice
Juan Merchan sentenced Trump to unconditional release, which means he will not
face any prison time or penalties. In handing down the sentence, Merchan noted
that Trump is the president-elect and will soon take office.
Although
Trump fought the sentencing in court, Merchan could have sentenced him to up to
four years in prison.
In
May 2024, Trump was found guilty by a Manhattan jury on 34 counts of falsifying
business records related to payments made during the 2016 election campaign to
a woman who claimed she had an affair with him about a decade earlier. He
pleaded not guilty and categorically denied the affair allegations, stressing
that the payments were merely recorded as legal expenses.
Trump
Speaks During Sentencing
The
president-elect provided comments during Friday’s sentencing hearing, appearing
virtually via Microsoft Teams, a video chat conferencing service. His attorney
who appeared next to him, Todd Blanche, said that the pair were in Florida.
As
Merchan delivered the sentence, Trump sat upright, lips pursed and was frowning
slightly. He tilted his head to the side as the judge wished him “Godspeed” in
his second term in office.
Before
Merchan’s sentencing, the president-elect again declared his innocence.
“I’m
totally innocent. I did nothing wrong,” he told the court and the judge.
He
argued that voters saw what happened in this courtroom and, like him, thought
it was a disgrace and supported him overwhelmingly in the election.
“It’s
been a political witch hunt,” Trump said. “It was done to damage my reputation
so that I would lose the election, and obviously, that didn’t work.”
Trump
said that the case and trial have “been a very terrible experience” that also
marks a “tremendous setback for New York and the New York court system,”
according to courthouse reporters.
During
his weeks-long trial in May 2024, Trump did not take the witness stand or make
any comments during the proceedings. He would often speak to reporters before
and after his court dates, criticizing the case, the district attorney, and the
judge.
Merchan
imposed a gag order on Trump from speaking about court staff, the district
attorney’s staff, members of their families, members of Merchan’s family, and
witnesses in the case. The judge issued several gag order-related fines to
Trump, and at one point, threatened to jail him for comments he had made during
the proceedings.
On
several occasions, Trump’s attorneys took legal action to dissolve the gag
order but were unsuccessful.
The president-elect had argued that certain witnesses, including former lawyer
Michael Cohen and Stephanie Clifford, better known as adult film performer
Stormy Daniels, made false statements about him and he could not respond to
their allegations amid an election.
Trump
said that it was his accountants who wrote down legal expenses that ultimately
became the basis of the case against him.
“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,” Trump said during
sentencing. “They called a legal expense a legal expense and for this, I got
indicted. It’s incredible actually.”
Trump
Faces No Punishment
Merchan
said that a judge must consider the facts of the case as well as aggravating
and mitigating circumstances.
“Never
before has this court been presented with such a unique and remarkable set of
circumstances,” he said, referring to Trump having won the Nov. 5, 2024,
election.
He
said that despite the extraordinary circumstances, the trial itself carried the
hallmarks of every other proceeding in this courthouse.
“It
is the legal protections afforded to the office of the president of the United
States that are extraordinary, not the occupant,” he said.
However,
he said that the “extraordinary legal protections afforded the office of the
chief executive is a factor that overrides all others“ and that ”they do not
reduce the seriousness of the crime or justify its commission in any way.”
“One
power they do not provide is the power to erase a jury verdict,” Merchan said.
“Ordinary citizens do not receive those legal protections. It is the office of
the president that bestows those to the office holder. It is the citizenry of
this nation that recently decided that you should once again receive the
benefits of those protections.”
Prosecutor
Joshua Steinglass on Friday recommended that Merchan sentence Trump to
unconditional discharge, citing circumstances including Trump’s impending
return to the presidency on Jan. 20.
“All
the circumstances of this case, its unique posture and the defendant’s status
as president-elect,” are reasons why such a decision should be rendered,
Steinglass said in court. “The verdict in this case was unanimous and decisive
and it must be respected,” he said.
Trump
Fought Sentencing
Following
Trump’s election win in November 2024, Merchan delayed
sentencing in the case that was set for Nov. 26, 2024, but last week issued an
order to sentence Trump on Jan. 10, which the president-elect fought in court.
Trump
initiated multiple last-ditch appeals to New York state courts and, later, the U.S.
Supreme Court.
The nation’s highest court on Thursday evening, in a 5–4 decision, declined to
take up his request and allowed his sentencing date to move forward.
Chief Justice John Roberts as well as Justices
Sonia Sotomayor,
Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan, and Amy Coney
Barrett were part of the majority who allowed his sentencing to go ahead. Justices
Samuel Alito,
Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, and Neil Gorsuch indicated they would grant
his request to delay the proceedings.
“The
application for stay presented to Justice Sotomayor and by her referred to the
Court is denied for, inter alia, the following reasons,” the order
said. “First, the alleged evidentiary violations at President-Elect Trump’s
state-court trial can be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal. Second,
the burden that sentencing will impose on the President-Elect’s
responsibilities is relatively insubstantial in light of the trial court’s
stated intent to impose a sentence of “unconditional discharge” after a brief
virtual hearing.”
Trump
Signals Appeal
Following
the Supreme Court’s decision, Trump said during a meeting at his Mar-a-Lago
residence that he respects the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision because
it allows him to appeal the matter.
“I’m
the first president and probably one of the first candidates in history that’s
under attack with a gag order where I’m not allowed to speak about something,”
Trump said during Thursday night dinner
with Republican governors. “This is a long way from finished and I
respect the court’s opinion.”
The
president-elect said that the justices “invited the appeal” and that it was a
“very good opinion for us.”
Status
of Other Cases
Aside
from the business records case in New York, Trump faced charges brought in
three other jurisdictions. Another state case brought in Fulton County,
Georgia, has been effectively put in a state of limbo after its district
attorney, Fani Willis, was removed as prosecutor by the Georgia Court of
Appeals last month.
Willis,
who on Thursday appealed
that court’s decision to the Georgia Supreme Court, was removed amid
allegations that she engaged in an improper relationship with the former
special counsel whom she hired to prosecute the case.
In
Washington and Florida, Trump faced federal charges that were brought by
special counsel Jack Smith, who accused him of election interference and
illegally retaining classified documents after leaving the White House and
obstructing efforts to retrieve them.
In
December 2024, Smith opted to drop both cases against Trump and cited
Department of Justice (DOJ) policies around not prosecuting sitting presidents.
Trump pleaded not guilty in both cases.
In
addition to the four criminal indictments, a judge earlier this year ordered
Trump to pay a $454
million penalty in a civil fraud lawsuit brought by state Attorney
General Letitia James’s office, alleging that he improperly inflated his wealth
for years while building his real estate empire. Trump denied the claims.
During
an appeals court hearing late last year, members of the five-judge panel on the
New York Appellate Division appeared concerned about possible overreach by
James.
The
Associated Press contributed to this report.
Connecting
the Dots:
George Soros was the chairman for
the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for
the Millennium Promise.
Jimmy Carter was
an honorary co-chairman for the Millennium Promise, the president
of the Jimmy Carter administration and a member of the Phi
Beta Kappa Society.
Elena Kagan is
a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and
a justice for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Samuel
Anthony Alito Jr. is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society
and a justice for the U.S. Supreme Court.
William J. Clinton is
a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and was the president for
the William J. Clinton Administration.
Stephen G. Breyer is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and
a justice for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Ruth Bader
Ginsburg is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and
a justice for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Anthony M. Kennedy is
a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and a justice for
the U.S. Supreme Court.
David Hackett
Souter is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and
was a justice for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Harry A. Blackmun was
a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and a justice for
the U.S. Supreme Court.
Lewis F. Powell
Jr. was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and a
justice for the U.S. Supreme Court.
John Paul Stevens was
a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and a justice for
the U.S. Supreme Court.
Potter Stewart was
a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and a justice for
the U.S. Supreme Court.
Byron R. White was
a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and a justice for
the U.S. Supreme Court.
Sonia Sotomayor is
a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, a justice for the U.S.
Supreme Court and was a member of the Belizean Grove.
Belizean_Grove is
the equivalent to the male-only social group, the Bohemian Club.
George H.W. Bush was a member
of the Bohemian Club, the president for the George H.W. Bush Administration
and a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
Henry
A. Kissinger was a member of the Bohemian Club and a
lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for
the Aspen Institute (think tank).
George Soros was the chairman
for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
David M.
Rubenstein was a benefactor at the Aspen Institute (think
tank), spent Thanksgiving with Joe Biden, a regent at the Smithsonian
Institution and was a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
LLP.
Joseph R. Biden Jr. spent
Thanksgiving with David Rubenstein, is the president for the Joe
Biden administration and a regent at the Smithsonian
Institution.
Jane Sullivan
Roberts was a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
and is married to John G. Roberts Jr.
John G. Roberts
Jr. is married to Jane Sullivan Roberts, the chancellor
for the Smithsonian Institution, the chief justice for the U.S.
Supreme Court and an honorary member of the Robert Trent Jones Golf
Club (Gainesville, VA).
Vernon E. Jordan
Jr. is the president emeritus for the Robert Trent Jones Golf
Club (Gainesville, VA) and an honorary trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for
the Brookings Institution (think tank).
George Soros was the chairman
for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
David M.
Rubenstein is the co-chairman for the Brookings Institution
(think tank), Joe Biden spent Thanksgiving with him and a
regent at the Smithsonian Institution.
Joseph R. Biden Jr. spent
Thanksgiving with David Rubenstein, is the president for the Joe
Biden Administration and a regent at the Smithsonian
Institution.
John G. Roberts
Jr. is the chancellor for the Smithsonian Institution, the
chief justice for the U.S. Supreme Court and an honorary member of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club (Gainesville, VA).
Thurgood
Marshall was a justice for the U.S. Supreme Court, Elena
Kagan was his clerk and the founder of the NAACP Legal Defense
& Educational Fund.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for
the Brookings Institution (think tank) and the NAACP Legal
Defense & Educational Fund.
George Soros was the chairman for
the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Vernon
E. Jordan Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank), a senior director at the
and NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund and the president
emeritus for the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club (Gainesville, VA).
John G. Roberts
Jr. is an honorary member of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club
(Gainesville, VA), the chancellor for the Smithsonian
Institution, the chief justice for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Samuel
Anthony Alito Jr. is a justice for the U.S. Supreme Court
and a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
Jimmy Carter was
a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the president of the Jimmy
Carter administration and an honorary co-chairman for the Millennium
Promise.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for
the Millennium Promise and the Aspen Institute (think tank).
George Soros was the chairman for
the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Henry
A. Kissinger was a member of the Bohemian Club and a
lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
George H.W.
Bush was a member of the Bohemian Club, the president for
the George H.W. Bush Administration and a member of the Phi Beta
Kappa Society.
Belizean_Grove is
the equivalent to the male-only social group, the Bohemian Club.
Sonia Sotomayor was
a member of the Belizean Grove, is a member of the Phi Beta
Kappa Society and a justice for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Henrietta
Holsman Fore is a member of the Belizean Grove, a trustee
at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and a trustee at the Committee
for Economic Development.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the
Aspen Institute (think tank) and Committee for Economic Development.
George Soros was the chairman
for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Carolyn S. Chin is
a member of the Belizean Grove and was a trustee at the Committee
for Economic Development.
Julie Daum is
a member of the Belizean Grove and was a trustee at the Committee
for Economic Development.
Davia B. Temin is
a member of the Belizean Grove and was a trustee at the Committee
for Economic Development.
Mary Agnes
Wilderotter is a member of the Belizean Grove and a
trustee at the Committee for Economic Development.
Donna S. Morea was
a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and the EVP for
the CGI Group Inc.
CGI Group Inc. was
the Obamacare contractor that developed Healthcare.gov
web site.
Obamacare is Barack
Obama’s signature policy initiative.
Barack Obama’s
signature policy initiative is Obamacare and was an intern at Sidley
Austin LLP.
Michelle Obama was
a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
Cameron F. Kerry is
a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, John F. Kerry’s brother
and a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for
the Brookings Institution (think tank).
George Soros was the chairman for
the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
David M.
Rubenstein is the co-chairman for the Brookings Institution
(think tank), Joe Biden spent Thanksgiving with him and a
regent at the Smithsonian Institution.
Joseph R. Biden Jr. spent
Thanksgiving with David Rubenstein, is the president for the Joe
Biden Administration and a regent at the Smithsonian
Institution.
John G. Roberts
Jr. is the chancellor for the Smithsonian Institution, the
chief justice for the U.S. Supreme Court and an honorary member of
the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club (Gainesville, VA).
Vernon E. Jordan
Jr. is the president emeritus for the Robert Trent Jones Golf
Club (Gainesville, VA) and an honorary trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for
the Brookings Institution (think tank).
George Soros was the chairman for
the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Resources:
Past Research
Turley:
Obama's "Become The Very Danger The Constitution Was Designed To
Avoid" (Past Research on the U.S. Supreme Court)
Friday,
December 6, 2013
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2013/12/turley-obamas-become-very-danger.html
Chief
Justice Defends Judicial Independence, Saying It's Under Threat (Connecting the
Dots: Chief Justice John Roberts, The U.S. Supreme Court, The Smithsonian
Institution, Nancy Pelosi, Jimmy Carter, The U.S. Department of Education, The
Alfalfa Club, Phi Beta Kappa Society, The Belizean Grove, The Bohemian Club
& Soros Funding, All Networking) (Past Research
on the U.S. Supreme Court & the Smithsonian Institution)
Thursday,
January 2, 2025
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2025/01/chief-justice-defends-judicial.html
This
Conspiracy Claims the Smithsonian Destroys Giant Skeletons (Connecting the
Dots: Smithsonian Institution, Sidley Austin LLP, Joe Biden, Ruth Padel, Oxford
University & Soros Funding, All Networking) (Past
Research on the Smithsonian Institution)
Friday,
October 18, 2024
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2024/10/this-conspiracy-claims-smithsonian.html
Trump
to Take Aim at Education (Connecting the Dots: Jimmy Carter, The U.S.
Department of Education & Soros Funding, All Networking) (Past Research on Jimmy Carter)
Wednesday,
November 13, 2024
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2024/11/trump-to-take-aim-at-education.html
Smaller
Bites – David Rubenstein (Connecting the Dots: David Rubenstein, Joe Biden, The
Smithsonian Institution, Economic Club of Washington, The U.S. Supreme Court
& The Soros Funded Think Tanks, All Networking) (Past
Research on David Rubenstein)
Tuesday,
November 22, 2022
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2022/11/smaller-bites-david-rubenstein.html
Robert
Redford for WaPo: ’45 Years After Watergate, The Truth is Again in Danger’ (Past Research on the Belizean Grove)
Sunday,
April 2, 2017
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2017/04/robert-redford-for-wapo-45-years-after.html
‘I
Had Nothing to Do With That!’ Obama Dodges Blame For Skyrocketing Premiums (Past Research on Obamacare)
Friday,
October 21, 2016
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2016/10/i-had-nothing-to-do-with-that-obama.html
Hours
After John Kerry Demands Green Transition Accelerated – His Emissions Closet
Swings Wide Open (Connecting the Dots: Cameron Kerry, John Kerry, Teresa Heinz
Kerry, Soros, the Climate Reality Project, the Brookings Institution (think
tank), the EPA and onto the FDA, Pfizer & Johnson & Johnson. It’s the
Network That Never Ends. One Project (Climate Change) Just bleeds into the Next
(Covid Project)) (Past Research on Cameron Kerry
and Sidley Austin LLP)
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