By Corinne Ramey
New York prosecutors on Tuesday agreed to postpone further proceedings in Donald Trump's hush-money case while the president-elect seeks dismissal of the charges, a move that could lead to a lengthy delay of his sentencing on 34 felony counts.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat who brought the case in 2023, said in a court filing that he would oppose Trump's bid to toss his conviction. But Bragg said it made sense to postpone Trump's sentencing until the former president's latest arguments are resolved. Trump's legal team has tried repeatedly to get the case thrown out but is making a renewed push after his election this month to a second presidential term.
Bragg also said the judge should consider "various non-dismissal options, " including the deferral of all remaining criminal proceedings until the end of Trump's next term.
A Trump spokesman called Bragg's request "a total and definitive victory" for Trump. "The Manhattan DA has conceded that this Witch Hunt cannot continue," he said.
A New York jury in May convicted Trump of the state crime of falsifying business records for covering up hush money paid to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels on the eve of the 2016 election. She said she had an affair with Trump, a claim he denied.
Trump's sentencing had been set for Nov. 26, but the finale of the case was upended by his electoral win. Because the charges were low-level felonies and Trump is a first-time offender, some court watchers thought it was unlikely he would be sentenced to jail time. Other possibilities were probation and a fine.
Trump's lawyers have sought repeatedly to slow or postpone proceedings in the case, maneuvers that helped push his sentencing date until after the election.
During a more-than-monthlong trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Trump, a tabloid publisher and his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, conspired to influence the 2016 election by buying up damaging stories about the candidate.
Each of the 34 felonies was based on a different document that the jury found Trump caused to be false.
Write to Corinne Ramey at corinne.ramey@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 19, 2024 13:35 ET (18:35 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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