Trump’s hush money sentencing delayed to September

The judge presiding over Donald Trump’s hush money trial is postponing the former president’s sentencing to September after Manhattan prosecutors said they would not oppose Trump’s request to delay in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s decision granting him “absolute” immunity from criminal prosecution for “official” acts.

In a letter to Justice Juan Merchan on July 2, prosecutors with the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Trump’s arguments are “without merit” but that they did not oppose his request to push back the sentencing date as he files his legal arguments.

Trump was initially scheduled to be sentenced on July 11, four days before the commencement of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

The judge will instead render a decision on Trump’s arguments on September 6 and Trump will be sentenced on September 18 “if such is still necessary,” according to a notice from Merchan on Tuesday.

That new date means Trump could potentially be handed a jail sentence roughly six weeks before Election Day.

The former president’s attorneys sent a letter to the judge on July 1 in the hopes of delaying his sentencing and blocking his guilty verdict.

The letter arrived within hours of the announcement of a ruling from the nation’s high court that shields Trump and any other presidents from criminal prosecution for actions considered “official” duties while in office.

Prosecutors are also imminently expected to submit their recommendations to the court for Trump’s sentence, which is likely to be the only criminally consequential action against the former president before Election Day.

Judge Merchan will ultimately set the sentence. Trump could face several years in jail or alternatively probation,