President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced to an "unconditional discharge" by a New York judge on Friday in his hush money case, a ruling that, while making him a convicted felon under state law, imposes no additional penalties just days before he is set to assume the presidency.
Judge Juan Merchan delivered the sentence in a hearing where Trump appeared remotely from his Florida residence. The ruling comes ten days before Trump is scheduled to take office as the nation's 47th president.
"Never before has this court been presented with such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances," Judge Merchan said during the sentencing, describing the case as "truly extraordinary." He explained that an unconditional discharge was "the only lawful sentence that permits entry of a judgment of conviction without encroaching upon the highest office in the land."
Trump, speaking from Florida, maintained his innocence during the hearing. "This has been a very terrible experience," he told the court. "It was done to damage my reputation so I would lose the election. I am totally innocent. I did nothing wrong."
The sentencing proceeded after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Trump's request to halt the criminal proceedings in a 5-4 decision on Thursday. Judge Merchan had previously indicated that Trump would not face jail time when setting Friday's sentencing date last week.
This represents the only one of Trump's four criminal indictments to have gone to trial. Special counsel Jack Smith has since dismissed two federal cases against Trump: one regarding efforts to overturn the 2020 election and another concerning alleged mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
Israel National News contributed to this article.
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