Trump Slams Hush Money Case as ‘Rigged Charade’ After Judge Sets Sentencing Date

President-elect Donald Trump expressed outrage on Friday after Judge Juan Merchan set January 10 as the sentencing date in his New York hush money case.

Taking to Truth Social, Trump condemned the decision as a politically motivated attack and criticized a gag order that prevents him from discussing court staff and prosecutors.

“This illegitimate political attack is nothing but a Rigged Charade,” Trump wrote.

“Acting Justice Merchan, who is a radical partisan, just issued another order that is knowingly unlawful, goes against our Constitution, and, if allowed to stand, would be the end of the Presidency as we know it.”

Trump also accused Merchan of maintaining an illegal gag order to silence him. “Merchan has so little respect for the Constitution that he is keeping in place an illegal gag order on me, your President and President-elect, just so I cannot expose his and his family’s disqualifying and illegal conflicts,” Trump added.

Earlier on Friday, Merchan set the sentencing date while rejecting Trump’s request to dismiss the case to accommodate his upcoming presidency.

The judge hinted he may impose no punishment for Trump’s felony conviction. Trump had previously appealed a partial gag order relating to the case, but the appeal was dismissed, and the order remains in effect.

The case stems from a May verdict in which a New York jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records. The charges relate to a $130,000 hush money payment made by Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Prosecutors argued the payment was intended to silence Daniels and prevent negative publicity that could have impacted Trump’s election chances.

Following the sentencing announcement, Trump’s spokesperson Steven Cheung called for the case to be dismissed, citing presidential immunity.

“Today’s order by the deeply conflicted, Acting Justice Merchan in the Manhattan DA Witch Hunt is a direct violation of the Supreme Court’s immunity decision and other longstanding jurisprudence,” Cheung said.

Trump also criticized Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Special Counsel Jack Smith in a series of Truth Social posts. Trump accused Bragg of pursuing a “hoax” and blamed Merchan for giving the case undue credibility.

“Merchan took the Bragg Hoax that, according to all Legal Scholars, should have been dead on arrival and, through his fraud and misconduct, gave it a semblance of ‘life,’” Trump wrote.

Turning his attention to Smith, Trump described him as “deranged” and celebrated his departure from the Justice Department. Smith, who had led investigations into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents, is expected to resign before Trump takes office.

“While Deranged Jack Smith was ‘sent packing’ back to The Hague, after losing all of his politically manufactured cases against me, Merchan, who is far worse and even more corrupt than Smith, just cannot let go of this charade,” Trump stated.

Despite the sentencing date, Trump retains the option to appeal the guilty verdict. His sentencing is scheduled to take place just ten days before his inauguration, but he has the option to appear virtually.

The guilty verdict marks the first time a president-elect has been convicted of felony charges before assuming office.

Prosecutors allege that Trump falsified records to conceal the true nature of the payments made to Daniels, labeling them as legal expenses. Cohen testified that he made the payment at Trump’s direction, a claim that Trump denies.

Throughout the case, Trump has maintained his innocence, dismissing the charges as a politically motivated attempt to undermine his presidency.

The hush money case is one of several legal battles Trump has faced during his political career, but it remains the only one to result in a felony conviction.

Trump’s legal team has argued that the gag order violates his First Amendment rights and hampers his ability to communicate with the public. They continue to challenge the ruling, though legal experts suggest an appeal is unlikely to overturn the conviction.

As the January 10 sentencing date approaches, the case underscores the unprecedented challenges facing Trump as he prepares to return to the White House.

Despite his legal troubles, Trump remains defiant, vowing to fight what he describes as a “witch hunt” and asserting his commitment to serving the American people.