US judge sentences Donald Trump, declines to impose jail term, fine

JAN 10, Kathmandu – A US judge on Friday sentenced President-elect Donald Trump over his criminal conviction stemming from hush money paid to a porn star.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will not go to jail, pay a fine or be put on probation for his criminal conviction stemming from hush money paid to a porn star but the sentence imposed by a judge on Friday places a judgment of guilt on his record.

Justice Juan Merchan’s sentencing of Trump, 78, to unconditional discharge, just days before his Jan. 20 inauguration, closes a case that had loomed over his bid to retake the White House.

By granting an unconditional discharge, Merchan places a judgment of guilt on Trump’s permanent record without any other legal penalty. Trump will be the first president to take office with a criminal conviction.

Merchan said he was imposing the sentence because the U.S. Constitution shields presidents from U.S. prosecution. But he said the protections afforded to the office “do not reduce the seriousness of a crime or justify its commission in any way.”

Trump pleaded not guilty and has vowed to appeal the guilty verdict. He appeared with his lawyer on TV screens beamed to the courtroom with two American flags in the background.