NEW YORK, Nov 19 (Reuters) – Prosecutors who secured Donald Trump’s conviction over a hush money payment to a porn star opposed on Tuesday his stated hope to have the case dismissed now that he is president-elect and asked a judge to set a schedule to litigate the matter.
Trump, 78, had been scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 26, but New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan last week put all proceedings in the case on pause at the request of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office.
The prosecutors said they would accept a delay but asked Merchan to set a deadline for Trump to formally seek dismissal of the case. The prosecutors suggested that they then be given until Dec. 9 to oppose Trump’s bid.
They also said consideration must be given to deferring all proceedings until after Trump finishes his four-year presidential term that begins on Jan. 20, but stopped short of explicitly endorsing that option.
Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump’s campaign, in a statement called Bragg’s position “a total and definitive victory” for Trump.
Trump, president from 2017-2021, is hoping to enter office for a second term unencumbered by any of the four criminal cases he has faced and which some opponents had predicted would derail his 2024 candidacy to return to the White House.
The Republican Trump was convicted in May of falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment his former lawyer Michael Cohen made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels for her silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she says she had with Trump, who denies it.
It was the first time a U.S. president – former or sitting – had been convicted of or charged with a criminal offense.
