Manhattan DA not fighting Trump motion to delay sentencing

In a letter published Monday, District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office deferred to the court on former President Donald Trump’s request to schedule his sentencing after the Nov. 5 election. Trump last Wednesday asked Acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan to delay his Sept. 18 sentencing until after the 2024 presidential election. A Manhattan jury convicted Trump earlier this year on 34 charges of felony business fraud. There was no indication Monday on how Merchan would decide the issue.

What did Bragg’s staff attorneys write in the letter? They alleged that some of the arguments in Trump’s request did not merit consideration. The district attorney’s office argued that Trump did not have wholesale immunity from the state’s criminal charges. The DA’s office noted, however, that some evidence brought up during the trial could be found inadmissible under the Supreme Court’s recent immunity ruling. Bragg’s team asked the court to decide an appropriate timetable for addressing pre-sentencing motions while issuing a sentence reasonably soon.

Why did Trump ask for the delay? Attorneys for the former president last week alleged that the current sentencing date amounted to election interference because it would take place after many Americans began filling out early voting ballots. The Supreme Court ruled last month that presidents are immune from criminal prosecution for their official acts. Trump’s legal team argued that the judge needed to determine whether the case against Trump should be dismissed in light of that ruling. Under the current schedule, prosecutors had to file their sentencing recommendations before Merchan ruled whether the case against Trump should continue.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report in The Sift about Trump’s recent conversation with Elon Musk, the owner of the social media platform X.