Donald Trump has been sentenced to an unconditional discharge after being convicted of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to a porn star. Despite facing 34 felony counts, the US president-elect avoided prison or fines.
New York Judge Juan Merchan, delivering the mildest possible criminal sanction, explained that this decision upheld the conviction without impeding Trump’s presidency.
“Never before has this court faced such unique circumstances,” Merchan remarked. “An unconditional discharge is the only lawful sentence that respects the highest office in the land.”
Trump attended the sentencing virtually, appearing alongside US flags and criticising the case as a politically motivated attempt to damage his reputation ahead of the election.
Prosecutors described the trial as exposing “premeditated and continuous deception” by Trump, who allegedly orchestrated illicit payments to silence Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
The unconditional discharge, while sparing the 78-year-old from jail, upholds his conviction and marks him as the first US president-elect to be found guilty of a felony.
The proceedings attracted both supporters and detractors outside the Manhattan courthouse, with Trump continuing to decry the prosecution as a “witch hunt.”