Trump responds to Bragg verdict delay, says case “should be over”

EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump reacted to Judge Juan Merchan's decision to delay sentencing in the New York v. Trump case until after Election Day, saying in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital that he “did nothing wrong” and the case “should be over.”

Trump spoke exclusively to Fox News Digital after Merchan granted the former president's request to delay his sentencing until after the November presidential election.

Trump's sentencing is now scheduled for November 26. The original date was September 18.

“The case has been postponed because it is clear to everyone that there was no case and I did nothing wrong,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “It is a case that should never have been brought to trial.”

Trump said: “The public understands this, and so does every legal scholar who has looked into this and studied it.”

“I really respect the use of the word 'if necessary' in this decision, because there should be no 'if necessary,'” Trump said.

He added: “The case should be closed.”

Merchan said Friday that “public confidence in the integrity of our justice system requires a sentencing trial that focuses entirely on the jury's verdict and the balancing of aggravating and mitigating circumstances, without distraction or distortion.”

“Unfortunately, we now find ourselves in a time fraught with complexities that make it difficult to carry out the requirements of a criminal trial should one be necessary. In accordance with some of the reasons put forward by the defendant and the reasons put forward by the prosecution for the adjournment, coupled with the unique time frame in which this matter currently finds itself, the decision on the [motion] and the sentencing is adjourned to avoid any appearance, however unfounded, that the proceedings have been influenced or are attempting to be influenced by the upcoming presidential election in which the defendant is a candidate,” Merchan said.

TRUMP ASKS FEDERAL COURT TO TAKE OVER BRAGG CASE WEEKS BEFORE SENTENCE

In this courtroom sketch, Judge Juan Merchan watches as former President Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, attends his criminal trial in Manhattan state court in New York City on May 30, 2024. He is accused of falsifying business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016. (REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg)

Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts of first-degree falsification of business records in an unprecedented criminal trial, following a six-week trial before Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's investigation.

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital: “There should be no conviction in the Manhattan District Attorney's witch-fight over election interference. As ordered by the United States Supreme Court, this case should be dismissed along with all other Harris-Biden hoaxes.”

“Election interference”: Trump’s lawyers demand delay in Bragg case verdict

Trump's sentence was originally scheduled to be announced on July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention where he would be officially nominated as the Republican presidential candidate for 2024. However, Judge Juan Merchan agreed to postpone the sentencing until September 18.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks to the media after a jury found former President Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in New York on May 30, 2024. (AP/Seth Wenig)

Trump's lawyers then requested that the verdict be postponed until after the presidential election in November, citing “obvious intentions to influence the election.”

Trump has appealed the verdict after pleading not guilty to all charges. Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche said the verdict must be overturned because of the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity.

Blanche also pointed to the work of Merchan's daughter at Authentic Campaigns, which represents top Democratic candidates.

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In his dismissal, Blanche argued that Bragg introduced official documents as evidence during the unprecedented six-week criminal trial, including official White House communications to aides such as Hope Hicks, Madeleine Westerhout and others, according to Blanche.

The Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. United States that a former president enjoys broad immunity from prosecution for official acts, but not for unofficial acts. The Supreme Court declared that Trump was immune from prosecution for “official acts,” but left it to the lower court to determine exactly where the line between official and unofficial acts is drawn.