With President-elect Donald J. Trump’s sentencing on hold, his lawyers are pushing to dismiss the case. The district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, is opposing the effort.
Manhattan prosecutors on Tuesday rebuffed President-elect Donald J. Trump’s request to dismiss his criminal conviction in the wake of his electoral victory, signaling instead their willingness to freeze the case while he holds office.
In a letter to the judge overseeing the case, prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office emphasized that a jury had already convicted Mr. Trump of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal. Prosecutors and judges are often loath to unravel a jury’s verdict.
But acknowledging the unprecedented nature of the case — Mr. Trump would be the first felon to serve as president — the prosecutors raised the prospect of a four-year freeze so that he will not be sentenced for his crimes until he is out of office.
The judge, Juan M. Merchan, will decide in the coming weeks whether to freeze the case or dismiss it outright, a momentous ruling that will shape the outcome of the only one of Mr. Trump’s four criminal cases that made it to trial. Dismissing the case would further embolden Mr. Trump as he enters his second presidential term, solidifying an aura of invincibility around him.
In a noteworthy development, the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced on Tuesday its decision not to oppose the postponement of criminal proceedings against President-elect Donald J. Trump. This includes putting his sentencing on hold until after the conclusion of his presidency in 2029.
This move signifies a substantial change in the ongoing high-profile legal battle that has surrounded Trump over the past few years. Previously, prosecutors were adamant in their pursuit of Trump, but now there appears to be a temporary step back. This shift comes in light of his electoral triumph and the constitutional challenges involved in prosecuting a sitting president.
The District Attorney’s office, in a letter addressed to Judge Juan Merchan, outlined their position clearly. While they oppose Trump’s attempts to have his criminal conviction dismissed entirely, they expressed no objection to delaying his sentencing and other legal proceedings until after his second term in office has ended. Trump’s sentencing was initially rescheduled for November 26; however, the current developments suggest that this date will likely be postponed.
In addition, the District Attorney’s team has proposed December 9 as the new deadline for their forthcoming documentation, which will evaluate the potential for dismissing the case. Meanwhile, Judge Merchan was tasked on the same Tuesday to determine whether a Supreme Court ruling could potentially offer Trump immunity from prosecution in this trial.
