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[text/observer network qi qian] on september 6, local time, a judge in new york postponed the sentencing date of former us president and republican presidential candidate trump's "hush money" case from the original september 18 to after the us presidential election in november on the grounds of "avoiding influencing the us presidential election." in may this year, trump was found guilty of all 34 charges in the "hush money" case, becoming the first former us president to be convicted.

the new york times said it was unclear what impact the decision would have on the outcome of the upcoming us election, but it was a "major victory" for the former president who was trying to overturn his conviction and take back the white house.

according to cnn and reuters, in august, trump's lawyers asked manhattan judge juan melchand to postpone trump's sentencing date until after the election, citing "blatant election interference goals."

in a four-page letter, melchan wrote that he now plans to sentence trump on november 26 unless the case is dismissed before then. he explained: "the delay in sentencing is intended to avoid any suggestion, even if unfounded, that the proceedings were influenced by the presidential election or that an attempt was made to influence the election through a lawsuit in which a presidential candidate is the defendant."

in addition, melchan also mentioned in the letter that he will decide whether to agree to trump's motion to revoke the judgment before november 12 based on the supreme court's "historic intervention decision" - the immunity ruling against trump.

melchan acknowledged the historic significance of the trump "hush money" trial. he wrote: "this is a unique case that occupies a unique place in american history... the verdict of the jury members must be respected and cannot be influenced by the upcoming presidential election. similarly, if necessary, the defendant has the right to a sentencing hearing that respects and protects his constitutional rights."

in the end, mr. merschamp seemed eager to fend off questions from both sides of the aisle, insisting that the court was a “fair, impartial, apolitical institution” and saying that “the integrity of our judicial system requires” that decisions be “free from interference or distortion.”

cnn stated that this is the second time that melchand has postponed the sentencing of the case. previously, after trump's lawyers requested to revoke the guilty verdict based on the supreme court's exemption ruling, melchand postponed the initial sentencing originally scheduled for july for two months to september 18.

later, trump responded on his own social media platform "truth social" that he was "very grateful" for melchan's decision to consider whether to agree to his motion to vacate the verdict. he reiterated: "i did nothing wrong... as we prepare for the most important election in our country's history, this case should be terminated."

trump insisted that he was being "politically persecuted" by democrats in an effort to "interfere in the election."

a spokesman for the trump campaign said the case was an attempt by the manhattan district attorney to "interfere in the election" and should be dismissed based on the supreme court's ruling. the spokesman was referring to the manhattan district attorney, democratic judge alvin bragg.

a spokesman for bragg said in a statement: "the jury had previously quickly and unanimously convicted trump of 34 felonies. the manhattan district attorney's office is ready to announce the sentencing results on a new date determined by the court." the spokesperson also pointed out that this case involves trump's personal behavior, not "official behavior", so there is no reason to overturn the verdict.

last march, trump became the first former us president to face criminal charges for paying hush money to porn star daniels during the 2016 campaign. trump immediately issued a statement denouncing the democrats for their "unprecedented political persecution and election interference" against him.

new york prosecutors alleged that during trump's 2016 campaign for the us presidency, he commissioned his then-personal attorney cohen to pay $130,000 in "hush money" to porn star daniels to prevent the latter from claiming that she had a sex scandal with trump in 2006 and affecting her election prospects; trump subsequently falsified business records and returned the money cohen advanced in installments in the name of "lawyer fees" to cover up his violations of new york and federal election laws.

on may 30, local time, a jury in a new york court ruled that trump was guilty of the "hush money" case and all 34 charges were proven. after becoming the first former us president to face criminal charges, trump became the first former us president to be convicted. according to reports at the time, trump could be sentenced to up to four years in prison, but he could also be sentenced to probation and never go to prison.

then, on july 1, the u.s. supreme court ruled 6:3 that the president's "official actions" and related evidence within his public office should be immune from prosecution and citation, but unofficial private actions are not protected in this way. in the final vote, three liberal justices voted against and six conservative justices voted in favor, three of whom were appointed by trump during his term.

according to the associated press and other us media reports at the time, this ruling echoed the argument of trump's lawyers that some evidence in the "hush money" case could be regarded as the president's "official behavior" and should be excluded. hours after the ruling was issued, manhattan judge melchan announced the postponement of trump's sentencing in the "hush money" case.

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