Trump faces sentencing today for hush money conviction in New York

Follow live AP coverage of Trump's hush money conviction in New York.

NEW YORK (AP) President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced Friday to no sentence in his historic hush money case, a ruling that allows him to return to the White House unhindered by the threat of prison time or of a fine.

With Trump appearing by video from his Florida estate, the sentence quietly closed an extraordinary case full of moments unthinkable in the United States just a few years ago.

This is the first criminal prosecution and conviction of a former U.S. president and major presidential candidate. The New York case became the only one of Trump's four criminal indictments that went to trial and perhaps the only one that ever will. And the conviction came 10 days before his inauguration for his second term.

In about six minutes of remarks in court, a calm but insistent Trump called the case a militarization of the government and an embarrassment to New York. He maintained that he had not committed any crime.

It's a political witch hunt. This was done to damage my reputation so that I would lose the election and obviously it didn't work, the Republican president-elect said in a video, with American flags in the background.

AP correspondent Julie Walker reports from court that President-elect Donald Trump has been ordered unconditional release in connection with his hush money case in New York.

About half an hour into the proceedings, Trump said in a post on his social media that the hearing had been a vile charade. He reiterated that he would appeal his conviction.

Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan could have sentenced the 78-year-old to up to four years in prison. Instead, Merchan chose a sentence that skirted thorny constitutional questions by effectively ending the case, but ensured that Trump would become the first president to take office with a felony conviction under his belt.

Trump's penalty-free sentence, called an absolute discharge, is rare for felony convictions. The judge said he must respect Trump's upcoming legal protections as president, while giving due consideration to the jury's decision.

Despite the extraordinary breadth of these protections, one power they do not provide is the power to expunge the jury's verdict, said Merchan, who had indicated in advance that he anticipated a no-penalty sentence.

Donald Trump was convicted Friday in his hush money case, but the judge refused to impose any punishment. This is the first criminal prosecution and conviction of a former U.S. president and major presidential candidate.

As Merchan said the sentence, Trump sat up straight, his lips pursed, frowning slightly. He tilted his head to the side as the judge wished him luck in your second term.

Before the hearing, a handful of Trump supporters and critics gathered outside. One group held a banner that read: Trump is guilty. The other held one that said: Stop the partisan conspiracy and Stop the political witch hunt.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office brought the charges, is a Democrat.

In this norm-shattering case, the former and new president were indicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records, tried for nearly two months, and convicted by a jury on each count. Still, the legal twist and sordid details aired in court about a plot to bury the affair allegations did him no harm with voters, who elected him in November to a second term.

Next to Trump, as he appeared virtually Friday from his Mar-a-Lago estate, were defense attorney Todd Blanche, with partner Emil Bove in the New York courtroom. Trump tapped both for high-ranking positions at the Justice Department.

Prosecutors have said they support a no-penalty sentence, but they have rebuked Trump's attacks on the justice system throughout the case.

The former and future president of the United States engaged in a coordinated campaign to undermine his legitimacy, said prosecutor Joshua Steinglass.

Afterward, Trump was expected to return to planning his new administration. He was scheduled to host conservative House Republicans later Friday as they gathered to discuss GOP priorities.

The specific charges in the hush money case related to checks and ledgers. But the underlying accusations were dubious and deeply tied to Trump's political rise.

Trump was accused of falsifying his business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels. She was paid, at the end of the 2016 Trump campaign, not to speak publicly about a sexual encounter she claims to have had ten years earlier. He says nothing sexual happened between them and he didn't do anything wrong.

Prosecutors said Daniels was paid through Trump's personal lawyer at the time, Michael Cohen, as part of a broader effort to keep voters from hearing about the alleged extramarital escapades of Trump.

Trump denies alleged meetings. His lawyers said he wanted to suppress the stories to protect his family, not his campaign. And while prosecutors said Cohen's reimbursements for paying Daniels were falsely recorded as legal fees, Trump says that's simply what they were.

This is why I was indicted, Trump complained to the judge on Friday. It's incredible, actually.

Trump's lawyers tried unsuccessfully to prevent a trial, and later to get the conviction overturned, the case dismissed or at least sentencing postponed.

Trump's lawyers have relied heavily on assertions of presidential immunity from prosecution, and they were bolstered in July by a Supreme Court ruling that grants former commanders in chief sweeping immunity.

Trump was a private citizen and presidential candidate when Daniels was paid in 2016. He was president when the reimbursements to Cohen were made and recorded the following year.

Merchan, a Democrat, repeatedly postponed sentencing, originally scheduled for July. But last week he set the date for Friday, citing the need for finality.

Trump's lawyers then launched a series of last-minute efforts to block sentencing. Their last hope vanished Thursday evening with a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling refusing to delay sentencing.

AP correspondent Julie Walker reports from court that President-elect Donald Trump has been convicted in his hush money case, but the judge is refusing to impose any punishment.

Meanwhile, other criminal cases that once weighed against Trump have ended or stalled ahead of trial.

After Trump's election, special counsel Jack Smith ended federal prosecutions over Trump's handling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. A Georgia state election interference case is locked in limbo after prosecutor FaniWillis was removed from it.

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Associated Press writer Adriana Gomez Licon in West Palm Beach, Fla., contributed to this report.

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Follow AP's coverage of President-elect Donald Trump at https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump.

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