FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Prosecutors in New York have spoken out against any effort to close the case against President-elect Donald Trump in a criminal case related to falsification of documents, but appeared somewhat open on Tuesday to delaying sentencing until after his second term. .
In court documents filed Tuesday, the Manhattan prosecutor's office said Mr. Trump's victory in the White House is not a reason to drop a case that has already been tried.
But "given the need to balance constitutional interests," prosecutors said, "consideration should be given" to a possible freeze in the case until after Mr. Trump's term ends.
Mr Trump pleaded guilty in May to charges of falsifying business records to conceal a payment to hush up a story about an extramarital affair in a scheme to influence the 2016 election. Mr Trump has denied all charges.
The announcement of the sentence was scheduled for November 26. But after winning the presidential election this month, Mr. Trump's lawyers asked Judge Juan M. Merchan to dismiss the case. They wrote that the case should be dropped "to facilitate the orderly transition of executive power and in the interest of justice." The judge gave prosecutors until Tuesday to consider how to proceed with the case.
Manhattan prosecutors said Tuesday that they are "mindful of the demands and obligations of the presidency" and understand that Mr. Trump's return to the White House "will raise unprecedented legal questions." "We also deeply respect the essential role of the jury in our constitutional system," they said.
No decision has been made, and Judge Merchan has not said when he will announce the decision. However, Mr. Trump's spokesman and incoming White House communications director, Steven Cheung, called the prosecutors' response Tuesday "a total and final victory for President Trump" in a case he has long characterized as " witch hunt".
"President Trump's legal team is working to drop the case once and for all," Mr. Cheung said in a statement. Dismissing the case would eliminate Mr. Trump's conviction and the possibility of a prison sentence.
Judge Merchan could also decide to delay the case and wait until a federal appeals court rules on Mr. Trump's parallel effort to remove the case from a state court or choose other alternatives.
Mr. Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to silence pornographic actress Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election. Trump has said that he did not have an intimate relationship with her and has rejected all the accusations. / VOA
Lini një Përgjigje