Trump Seethes as Judge Rejects His Sad Attempt to Delay Sentencing
Donald Trump is running out of moves as his sentencing date approaches.
![Donald Trump speaks before a mic at Mar-a-Lago and splays his hands out. Two U.S. flags are behind him.](http://images.newrepublic.com/3400e74c99d45dbf93848d4e4326b6e69fb0fe36.jpeg?auto=format&fit=crop&crop=faces&q=65&w=768&h=undefined&ar=3%3A2&ixlib=react-9.0.2&w=768)
Donald Trump was just denied again in his hush-money trial, and predictably, he’s not happy about it.
Trump requested for a third time that Judge Juan Merchan step aside in the trial, claiming that Merchan has a conflict of interest due to his daughter’s political consultancy work, and Merchan declined yet again.
“Defendant has provided nothing new for this Court to consider. Counsel has merely repeated arguments that have already been denied by this and higher courts” and were “rife with inaccuracies and unsubstantiated claims,” Merchan wrote in a decision posted Wednesday. Merchan also denied similar requests from Trump’s legal team in April and August 2023.
The former president and convicted felon immediately went to Truth Social to complain.
“Judge Merchan just ruled that I, the Republican candidate for President, and leading in the Polls, am still under a Gag Order CONCERNING VERY IMPORTANT THINGS WHICH MUST BE BROUGHT TO LIGHT. I AM NOT ALLOWED TO ANSWER REPORTERS QUESTIONS. Can you believe this?” Trump posted, seemingly complaining that his partial gag order remains in place.
“The New York Courts refuse to act. This is happening right before the voting begins on September 6th. Suppression and manipulation of the vote. Voter interference. This is the real Fascist ‘stuff,’ the old Soviet Union! So much to say, and I’m not allowed to say it. Must get U.S. Supreme Court involved. New York is trying to steal the Election!” The post continued.
In May, Trump was found guilty in his hush-money trial on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records with the intent to further an underlying crime. His sentencing was originally scheduled for July 11, but that was delayed to September 18 thanks to the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling. To the high court’s credit, earlier this month, they rejected an attempt to delay Trump’s sentencing, paving the way for Trump to maybe face accountability.