President-elect Donald Trump ranted about a “very terrible experience” and declared his innocence as he was given a slap on the wrist for his 34 felony convictions in New York.
Judge Juan Merchan sentenced Trump Friday after a jury found him guilty of falsifying business records as part of a scheme to cover up an alleged affair with Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Trump has denied the affair, but the jury found him guilty over the record-keeping of the $130,000 in hush-money payments to Daniels.
Merchan handed down an “unconditional discharge” sentence, meaning Trump will not face jail time or fines.
“Virtually everyone that I know of … not one, these people are not exactly friends of mine, to put it mildly … have all said it’s a case that should never be brought,” Trump told the court before listing off authors and legal analysts he says support his view.
Throughout his remarks, the president-elect maintained his innocence: “I’m totally innocent, I did nothing wrong … The business records were extremely accurate.”
“It has been a political witch hunt, it was done to damage my reputation,” he added.
“I would just like to explain that I was treated very, very unfairly. Thank you very much.”
Minutes after the sentencing, the president-elect posted a statement on Truth Social calling the case a “scam.”
“Today’s event was a despicable charade, and now that it is over, we will appeal this Hoax, which has no merit, and restore the trust of Americans in our once great System of Justice,” Trump wrote.
“The real Jury, the American People, have spoken, by Re-Electing me with an overwhelming MANDATE in one of the most consequential Elections in History,” he added.
Friday’s hearing came after the Supreme Court said it would not stop Trump’s sentencing. Earlier this week, prosecutors argued the nation’s highest court should intervene “to prevent grave injustice and harm to the institution of the Presidency and the operations of the federal government.”
In a one-page order on Thursday night, hours before Trump’s sentence, the Supreme Court said Trump’s arguments can be handled through the ordinary course of appeal.
Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh would have granted Trump’s application.
Trump called the Supreme Court’s ruling “a fair decision” and said he planned to appeal the verdict in a speech from Mar-a-Lago on Thursday night.
“I’ll do my little thing tomorrow,” the president-elect said. “They can have fun with their political opponent.”
