Judge Merchan urged to sentence Trump to prison while defense seeks to delay sentencing

Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner recently urged acting Judge Juan Merchan to sentence Donald Trump to prison in September in the New York criminal trial, one of four indictments filed against the former president.

Trump was found guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Sentencing in the case is scheduled for September 18.

On Thursday, Kirschner responded to Trump's legal team's request to delay sentencing until after the November presidential election. He called the request "another pathetic and desperate attempt by Donald Trump to keep from being sentenced."

With Trump facing several other indictments, the New York trial has been referred to as the "hush money case;" however, Kirschner claimed the case was actually about election interference.

Trump's attorneys, who filed a request to delay sentencing on Thursday, claimed that moving forward with the September sentencing date would amount to election interference.

His team wrote to Merchan, "The Court should adjourn any sentencing in this case, though one should not be necessary because dismissal and vacatur of the jury's verdicts are required based on Presidential immunity, until after the 2024 Presidential election."

Trump's legal counsel previously filed a motion to overturn the jury's guilty verdict and dismiss the case, citing the United States Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity. His lawyers have also attempted three times to have Merchan recuse himself from the case, claiming his daughter's work for a progressive political consulting firm creates a conflict of interest.

Kirschner, a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, slammed Trump's lawyers for attempting to get the case thrown out over an alleged appearance of impropriety, though he did not mention what that conflict of interest allegation entailed.

"You know friends, this is where sanctioning bad faith lawyers would come in really handy," Kirschner said.

Kirschner went on to explain that Merchan will likely reject Trump's request to vacate sentencing based on presidential immunity and announce that he plans to move forward with sentencing as scheduled. He noted that if that happens, Trump's legal team will presumably immediately try to appeal to postpone sentencing until after the election.

"It could very well be that some appellate court, up to and including the Supreme Court, puts a stop to or stays the sentencing. I hope that doesn't happen," Kirschner continued. "I hope that Judge Merchan not only denies the motion to dismiss but proceeds to sentencing on September 18th, sentences him to prison, which he so richly deserves."

"Because if you want to deter tomorrow's aspiring dictator, you've got to punish today's aspiring dictator for the crimes he committed to try to steal the presidency," Kirschner declared. "You know, probation is dead wrong in this case. Prison time is what's required."

"As long as he's not elected president, he will not have the opportunity to kill his cases," he added. "He won't have that opportunity to get rid of them. But he will, if God forbid he ever retakes the reins of presidential power."

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