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Bragg pushes to put Trump's New York case on ice until after presidency
Democrat Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office is pushing for Judge Juan Merchan to put President-elect Donald Trump's case on ice until after his presidency.Trump, who pleaded not guilty, was convicted by a New York City jury on all 34 counts of falsifying business records. His sentencing, which was originally slated for July, has been postponed multiple times.'A pathetic attempt to salvage the remains of an unconstitutional and politically motivated hoax.'Following Trump's presidential victory in November, Merchan agreed to allow the defense to file a motion to dismiss the case.Trump's lawyer, Todd Blanche, argued that the November election result was "a mandate that supersedes the political motivations of DANY's 'People,'" referring to Bragg. He further contended that moving forward with the case would be "uniquely destabilizing" for the country.On Tuesday, Bragg's office rejected Blanche's request to dismiss and argued that the case should be put on hold until the conclusion of Trump's presidency.The prosecution wrote, "President-elect immunity does not exist. And even after the inauguration, defendant's temporary immunity as the sitting President will still not justify the extreme remedy of discarding the jury's unanimous guilty verdict and wiping out the already-completed phases of this criminal proceeding.""No principle of immunity precludes further proceedings before defendant's inauguration. And even if judgment has not been entered at the time of defendant's inauguration, there is no legal barrier to deferring sentencing until after defendant's term of office concludes," the prosecution's filing continued.Bragg's office argued that issuing a stay in the case and waiting to sentence Trump in 2029 would exempt the president-elect "from any immediate obligations in this case during his time in office, while at the same time respecting the public interest in upholding the rule of law and preserving the meaningful aspects of the criminal process that have already taken place."Steven Chueng, Trump's spokesperson, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that the prosecution's filing was "a pathetic attempt to salvage the remains of an unconstitutional and politically motivated hoax.""This lawless case should have never been brought, and the Constitution demands that it be immediately dismissed, as President Trump must be allowed to continue the presidential transition process and execute the vital duties of the presidency, unobstructed by the remains of this, or any other, witch hunt," Chueng continued. "The sooner these cases end, the sooner our country can unite behind President Trump for the betterment of all Americans."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!