Judge delays Trump sentencing until after US election

NEW YORK: Sentencing of Donald Trump in his New York hush money trial was delayed on Friday until after November´s presidential election, a win for the Republican as he battles Democrat Kamala Harris in the knife-edge race.

The former president had been scheduled to be sentenced on September 18 for falsifying business records in a scheme to silence a porn star´s politically damaging story.

But Judge Juan Merchan postponed it to November 26 -- well past the November 5 election, as requested by Trump´s lawyers.

“This is not a decision this Court makes lightly but it is the decision which in this Court´s view, best advances the interests of justice,” he wrote in his decision.

Trump was convicted in May of 34 counts of doctoring business records to cover up hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels to stop her from disclosing an alleged sexual encounter on the eve of the 2016 election.

He was originally scheduled to be sentenced on July 11. However, that was delayed after the US Supreme Court ruled that a former president has broad immunity from criminal prosecutions.

Trump´s lawyers asked that his New York conviction be dismissed following the Supreme Court immunity ruling. Merchan said he would rule on the dismissal motion on November 12.

The postponement comes as the already extraordinary White House race enters a newly tense phase, with Harris and Trump set to hold their first televised debate next Tuesday.

Hours before the ruling, instead of addressing key voter issues like immigration or the economy, Trump was in New York delivering rambling remarks about his myriad legal problems, as he denied multiple women´s accusations of sexual harassment or assault.