The delay in Trump’s sentencing is a victory for his campaign and his wallet

“The defendant is entitled to a sentencing hearing that respects and protects his constitutional rights,” Merchan wrote, noting the case is “fraught with complexities” given the “unique time period.”

Trump asked for the delay to avoid the potential “politically damaging” impact a public ruling could have on the election.

The sentencing will not take place at all if Merchan’s next major ruling, on September 16, overturns Trump’s verdict or the indictment itself on presidential immunity grounds.

Manhattan prosecutors deferred to the judge for the sentencing date, though they fought hard against the dismissal of the case, arguing that immunity was irrelevant to much of the evidence used to convict him.

“This is not a decision this court makes lightly, but it is a decision that, in the court’s opinion, best advances the interests of justice,” Merchan wrote.

“This matter is one that stands alone, in a unique place in the history of this Nation,” Merchan wrote.

However, he wrote, the decision to postpone sentencing “has now been decided in the same manner that this court has decided every other issue that has arisen since the commencement of this case, applying the facts and the law after carefully considering the issues and the respective arguments. of the parties”.

His decision, he added, was crafted “to ensure that the integrity of the proceedings is protected, justice is done and the independence of that judiciary is kept firmly intact.”

The delay now robs Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris of key fodder for attacking her Republican opponent in the final weeks of the campaign.

Trump faced zero to four years behind bars for his May 30 conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records. He may also be handed an embarrassing new title: stationary. Trump could also have been ordered to serve community service.

Any sentence would almost certainly have been put on hold pending appeal, as is common in cases involving non-violent, low-level crimes.

But Trump should have suffered — in person — through the sentencing process itself.

Several hundred journalists would have watched him in a Manhattan courtroom, first as a prosecutor, and then as the judge would have scolded Trump for conspiring to hide a $130,000 payment that kept- silenced porn actress Stormy Daniels just 11 days before the 2016 election.

The details of the scandal would have made headlines again, and Harris could have reprimanded him for the details in the stump, citing his sentence and the scolding that came with it.

The delay also has a financial benefit.

Only after the conviction would Trump have faced the possible loss of his liquor licenses in New Jersey. Officials there threatened to revoke his licenses at the three Garden State golf courses because of his new criminal record. They said they would wait until after sentencing, as required by state law.

With so much at stake, it’s no wonder Trump has repeatedly tried to derail his sentence since July, when the U.S. Supreme Court found that former presidents enjoy broad immunity from the criminal prosecution for official acts.

Trump has fought to overturn his conviction on immunity challenges filed in state and federal court.

Those challenges are still pending.