US President-elect Donald Trump will appear in a New York court on January 10 in connection with a criminal case, a media report said on Saturday.
Scheduled to take oath as new US president on Jan. 20, Trump has been convicted on charges involving hush money paid to a film actor.
Justice Juan Merchan’s ruling means Trump will be required to appear at a hearing just 10 days before his inauguration – an unprecedented scenario in U.S. history, Reuters reported.
It said before Trump, no US president – former or sitting – had been charged with or convicted of a crime,
The judge said Trump, 78, may appear at his sentencing either in person or virtually. He wrote that he was not inclined to sentence Trump to jail, and that a sentence of “unconditional discharge” – meaning no custody, monetary fine, or probation – would be “the most viable solution.”
In a statement, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said there should be no sentencing in the case.
“This lawless case should have never been brought, and the Constitution demands that it be immediately dismissed,” Cheung said.
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