Trump becomes first U.S. president sentenced as a felon

Los Angeles Times ^ | Jan. 10, 2025 Updated 7:22 AM PT | Michael R. Sisak, Jennifer Peltz, Jake Offenhartz and Michelle L. Price

[E. Pluribus Unum]

NEW YORK —  President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced Friday in his felony hush money case, but the judge declined to impose any punishment, an outcome that cements his conviction but frees him to return to the White House unencumbered by the threat of a jail term or a fine.

Trump’s sentence of an unconditional discharge caps a norm-smashing case that saw the former and future president charged with 34 felonies, put on trial for almost two months and convicted on every count. Yet, the legal detour — and sordid details aired in court of a plot to bury affair allegations — didn’t hurt him with voters, who elected him to a second term.

Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan could have sentenced the 78-year-old Republican to up to four years in prison. Instead, he chose a sentence that sidestepped thorny constitutional issues by effectively ending the case but assured that Trump will become the first person convicted of a felony to assume the presidency.

Merchan said that like when facing any other defendant, he must consider any aggravating factors before imposing a sentence, but the legal protection that Trump will have as president “is a factor that overrides all others.”

“Despite the extraordinary breadth of those legal protections, one power they do not provide is that they do not erase a jury verdict,” Merchan said.

Trump, briefly addressing the court as he appeared virtually from his Florida home, said his criminal trial and conviction has “been a very terrible experience” and insisted he committed no crime.

The former president, appearing on a video feed 10 days before he is again inaugurated, pilloried the case, the only one of his four criminal indictments that has gone to trial and possibly the only one that ever will.

“It’s been a political witch hunt....

[Sarah Barracuda]

OH NOES he’s a felon what shall we do LOL LOL..well commies love firsts, first black woman LA Mayor, first lesbo first chief, so now we have a first convicted felon as President, Id take a felon over a dementia riddled buffoon who craps in a diaper anyday

[dadfly]

this will stop only when this corrupt judge and prosecutor are behind bars. hope Trump gets it done.

[daler]

Will Joe then be the second?

Here’s hoping Pam Bondi has bigger balls than other Republican AG’s.

[BenLurkin]

“norm-smashing”

Yeah I’d say that describes a fundamentally illegitimate process.

[yesthatjallen]

"Trump becomes first U.S. president sentenced as a felon"

THE FIRST! AWESOME!

The left is always celebrating firsts so we should too.

[Bratch]

Darn. Now he'll have to spend 4 years in the Big House. 😎

[FatherofFive]

Trump becomes first U.S. president sentenced as a felon

Washington and Jefferson committed crimes against the government. Trump is in good company.

[hoagy62]

Trump sentenced as a felon.

So effing what?????

HAIL TRUMP! TRUMP WON! BY A LOT!!

[beethovenfan]

cite

[Mark]

Your RAG paper has committed more FELONY lies than Trump.

[Fury]

Normally, a felony conviction would be a big deal.

The majority of people (I believe) see this outcome as the byproduct of lawfare and persecution.

[T.B. Yoits]

George Washington was a felon, along with the other founding fathers.

[frank ballenger]

Song by the group NuShooz

I Can’t Wait.

[Carl Vehse]

Only until thw conviction by this kangaroo court is overturned.

[Starboard]

The LA Times should be writing about the legal liabilities of the failed political leadership in the state and in the city of LA and start demanding accountability for $150B in damages.

[Lizavetta]

The "felony" as I understand it was checks to silence the skank and were recorded as campaign expenses instead of personal expenses. Do I have that right?

And then, on top of that, each check written to the skank was its own felony. Do I have that right?

If Trump lodged personal expenses as campaign expenses then he should be fined AS ANY OTHER PERSON would be fined for doing the same thing. This is a bookkeeping error.

Jail time? Millions in fines? What a joke.

[UMCRevMom@aol.com]

ARTICLE

10 Presidents Who Have Personally Killed People
by Mark Hallum
History New Network
https://www.historynewsnetwork.org/article/10-presidents-who-have-personally-killed-people

* History News Network puts current events into historical perspective.

[Flaming Conservative]

Didn’t waste any time, did they? Not that it harms Trump even a tiny little bit.

[cross_bearer_02]

Sentenced by a fraudulent court on fake charges, as far as I’m concerned. In my book, he’s innocent.

[McGavin999]

Thanks, I didn’t know that