In President-elect Donald Trump’s business records case, a New York judge has set a sentencing date for Jan. 10. Justice Juan Merchan wrote in his decision that the sentence would be an unconditional discharge—which means that the felony conviction would stand, but that Trump would be unlikely to face jail time, probation, or fines.
NTD discussed the move with John Malcolm, the vice president of The Heritage Foundation’s Institute for Constitutional Government and the director of its Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies. Malcolm says this is a way for Merchan to take a “dig” at Trump, whose social media posts against the court have drawn Merchan’s ire.