On Tuesday, July 2, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said that it is open to delaying the sentencing of former President Donald Trump over his hush money conviction in New York. On Monday, Trump requested to file a motion to have the verdict thrown out after the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling. The motion would nearly guarantee a delay in the sentencing, which is scheduled for July 11.
Prosecutors asked the judge for two weeks to file a response to Trump’s motion.
“Although, we believe [the] defendant’s arguments to be without merit, we do not oppose his request for leave to file and his putative request to adjourn sentencing pending determination of his motion,” Assistant District Attorney Josh Steinglass wrote in a letter filed with the New York court.
Trump was convicted in late May on 34 counts of falsifying business records regarding a hush money payment to adult entertainer Stormy Daniels.
The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that presidents have “absolute immunity for actions within their constitutional duties” and “presumptive immunity for official acts.” However, the justices also ruled that there is no immunity for “unofficial acts.“
Manhattan prosecutors do not believe the ruling will apply to the New York conviction but they suggest moving the sentencing to July 24 to allow both legal teams to respond.
The judge has not yet made a decision on Trump’s request to file a motion or a delay to the scheduled sentencing.
If delay is granted, it would move a sentencing decision past the Republican National Convention, which begins on July 15.
Trump’s defense argued presidential immunity in a previous and unsuccessful attempt to delay the hush money trial.
