{"id":2338339,"date":"2024-09-08T06:10:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-08T10:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-and-hunter-biden-avert-legal-showdowns-before-election-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-08T06:15:03","modified_gmt":"2024-09-08T10:15:03","slug":"trump-and-hunter-biden-avert-legal-showdowns-before-election-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-and-hunter-biden-avert-legal-showdowns-before-election-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump and Hunter Biden avert legal showdowns before election &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-and-hunter-biden-avert-legal-showdowns-before-election-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2338339&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the\u2064 recent\u2062 legal developments involving former President\u200d Donald Trump and \u200bHunter Biden,\u200d son of \u200cPresident Joe Biden, which could have significant implications for the upcoming 2024 elections. Both figures faced potential high-stakes\u200c court appearances, but recent rulings have altered this\u2062 trajectory.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&#8217;s \u2063sentencing for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-rejects-trump-bid-to-shield-financial-records\/\" title=\"Supreme Court Rejects Trump Bid To Shield Financial Records\">hush money payments<\/a> was postponed until after the election by\u200c Judge Juan\u2062 Merchan, who acknowledged the timing&#8217;s potential influence on the election, \u2063suggesting \u2064a desire to avoid any \u200cappearance of judicial bias. In \u200btandem, Judge Tanya Chutkan provided\u2063 a timeline for Trump\u2019s January 6th case, also \u200bindicating \u200cthat proceedings would likely be deferred until after the election.<\/p>\n<p>On the other\u200c hand, Hunter Biden surprised observers by pleading guilty to all nine charges in his tax trial, thereby evading a\u200b potentially scandalous\u2063 trial that could have disrupted his father&#8217;s campaign. Despite Hunter&#8217;s \u200cinitial \u200clegal \u2062troubles posing a risk to\u200c Biden&#8217;s \u200bre-election efforts, this development has\u2064 less political weight since Joe Biden announced he would not seek re-election.<\/p>\n<p>Legal analysts speculate on the \u200cfuture\u2063 of Trump&#8217;s multiple criminal cases, with the possibility of appeals leading to\u200c delays \u2062and a\u200c lack of significant courtroom activity before voters head to the polls. The article emphasizes that while Trump&#8217;s legal issues once seemed poised to dominate the campaign \u2064landscape, current rulings have\u2062 significantly altered that narrative. Meanwhile, reactions vary, with some celebrating \u200dthe judicial delays for\u200c Trump, while critics express concern over the implications of these decisions on justice and electoral fairness.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Trump and Hunter Biden avert legal showdowns before election<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1755088\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Two of the most high-profile criminal defendants in the country were expected to have blockbuster court appearances that could have had massive political ramifications in the final months of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-elections\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"2024 election\">2024 election<\/a> &mdash; but neither will experience them anymore.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>This week marked a turning point in the legal sagas of former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> and President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Joe Biden<\/a>&rsquo;s son Hunter.<\/p>\n<p>Judge Juan Merchan made the decision Friday to postpone Trump&rsquo;s hush money sentencing hearing in Manhattan, which was originally scheduled for Sept. 18, until three weeks after the election.<\/p>\n<p>One day prior, Judge Tanya Chutkan set new deadlines in Trump&rsquo;s Jan. 6 case, which had been dormant for months while an appeal was pending before the Supreme Court. Chutkan&rsquo;s long-awaited schedule implied that no hearings would take place until after the election. <\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the same day Chutkan issued her order, Hunter Biden appeared in court to begin jury selection in his tax trial. But the first son stunned the federal courtroom by announcing that he would plead guilty to all nine charges he was facing and accept whatever sentence the judge decided to impose on him.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Hunter Biden, right, and his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, arrive in federal court for jury selection for his trial on felony tax charges Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Jae C. Hong)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The younger Biden&rsquo;s decision to plead guilty allowed him to avoid what was set to be a salacious weekslong trial. It would have given public exposure to the darkest periods of his life, when he was chasing controversial multimillion-dollar business deals abroad, addicted to crack cocaine, and neglecting his taxes.<\/p>\n<p>When Joe Biden was running for reelection, his son&rsquo;s trial threatened to present a serious predicament for his presidential campaign. However, since the president dropped his reelection bid in July, Hunter Biden&rsquo;s tribulations have lost some of their political luster.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s four criminal cases, on the other hand, were at one point poised to be the dominating feature of 2024. Trials were expected to happen in all four cases, tying Trump up in court for weeks at a time while he was supposed to be campaigning.<\/p>\n<p>That expectation ultimately crumbled. Trump&rsquo;s classified documents case in Florida was tossed out and is now facing an appeal from special counsel Jack Smith. The former president&rsquo;s election interference case in Georgia is also sitting before an appellate court and will not see any action for months. In any case, legal experts have speculated that the Georgia case could have a bleak future in the wake of the Supreme Court&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-pleads-not-guilty-to-jack-smith-superseding-indictment-in-jan-6-case-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Trump pleads not guilty to Jack Smith superseding indictment in Jan 6 case - Washington Examiner\">landmark presidential immunity ruling<\/a>. That ruling also directly and immediately affected Trump&rsquo;s Jan. 6 case, which Chutkan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3144179\/judge-spars-trump-lawyers-pace-jan-6-trial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>acknowledged<\/a> in a hearing this week had no trial in sight while so many new open questions still needed to be resolved.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s conviction in New York on 34 felony counts of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/are-the-charges-brought-against-the-trump-organizations-cfo-part-of-a-witch-hunt-experts-weigh-in\/\" title=\"Are The Charges Brought Against The Trump Organization\u2019s CFO Part Of A Witch Hunt? Experts Weigh In\">falsifying business records<\/a>, a charge that carries a maximum four-year prison sentence, was the only positive moment for Trump&rsquo;s critics, who were hoping to see the former president face consequences of alleged wrongdoing.<\/p>\n<p>However, Trump will now not see a penalty imposed on him for his conviction in that case before voters go to the polls as he successfully wields the Supreme Court&rsquo;s ruling in that case as well.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference held at Trump Tower, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo\/Stefan Jeremiah)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Merchan&rsquo;s order came in response to Trump repeatedly requesting that the sentencing be delayed. Trump argued in part that the Supreme Court&rsquo;s ruling required attention in the case before any sentence should be handed down, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg had not opposed the request. When Merchan granted it, the judge also openly admitted that the looming election contributed to his decision to make the change.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The imposition of sentence will be adjourned to avoid any appearance-however unwarranted-that the proceeding has been affected by or seeks to affect the approaching Presidential election in which the Defendant is a candidate,&rdquo; Merchan wrote in his order.<\/p>\n<p>Trump celebrated the decision, saying on Truth Social it happened &ldquo;because everyone realizes that there was NO CASE, I DID NOTHING WRONG!&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Mike Davis, founder of the Article III Project and a Trump supporter, said a Trump prison sentence would have solidified the former president&rsquo;s election victory and that Merchan&rsquo;s move appeared to be part of a &ldquo;tactical retreat&rdquo; by judges and prosecutors in Trump&rsquo;s cases.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Democrats know that if they put Trump in prison before the election, they are going to turn him into Nelson Mandela, and he&rsquo;s going to win in a landslide,&rdquo; Davis told the <em>Washington Examiner.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Many in left-leaning circles criticized the decision, blaming Republicans for it and lamenting what they perceived as a lack of accountability for Trump.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Today&rsquo;s sentencing postponement takeaway: MAGA bullying works. sigh,&rdquo; New York lawyer Karen Agnifilo, who worked in the Manhattan District Attorney&rsquo;s Office, wrote on X.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Defend Democracy Project blamed conservative Supreme Court justices, calling two of them &ldquo;compromised&rdquo; because of questions from Democrats surrounding Justice Clarence Thomas&rsquo;s wife&rsquo;s political <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2794002\/no-precedent-gop-blasts-democrats-calls-for-thomass-recusal-from-trump-case\/\">activism<\/a> and Justice Samuel Alito&rsquo;s flag <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3021146\/alito-refuses-recuse-supreme-court-cases-flag-trump\/\">controversy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Now he won&rsquo;t face sentencing until after the election because the three justices he appointed to the Supreme Court, along with two justices compromised by their wives&rsquo; support for the insurrection, invented a pretext of presidential immunity,&rdquo; the group said in a statement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1755088\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1755088\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump and Hunter Biden sidestep legal confrontations ahead of the election. Both individuals, among the most prominent criminal defendants in the nation, were anticipated to make significant court appearances that could have greatly influenced the political landscape in the lead-up to the 2024 election. However, recent developments have changed that trajectory. Judge Juan Merchan decided on Friday to delay Trump\u2019s sentencing hearing related to hush money payments in Manhattan, which was initially set for September 18, until three weeks after the election. The day before this decision, Judge Tanya Chutkan established new timelines for Trump\u2019s January 6 case\u2014previously stalled due to a pending Supreme Court appeal\u2014indicating that no hearings would occur until after Election Day.<\/p>\n<p>On the same day Chutkan issued her order, Hunter Biden appeared in court for jury selection in his tax trial but surprised everyone by announcing he would plead guilty to all nine charges against him and accept whatever sentence was handed down by the judge. This plea allowed him to avoid a potentially scandalous trial that could have exposed troubling aspects of his life involving controversial business dealings abroad and personal struggles with addiction.<\/p>\n<p>Hunter Biden&#8217;s legal issues had posed a significant challenge for President Joe Biden&#8217;s reelection campaign; however, since Joe Biden suspended his campaign in July, these challenges have lost some political significance. In contrast, Trump&#8217;s multiple criminal cases were once expected to dominate headlines throughout 2024 as they threatened to consume his time during campaigning. Yet those expectations diminished as Trump&#8217;s classified documents case was dismissed and is now under appeal while other cases remain inactive.<\/p>\n<p>Legal experts suggest that Trump&#8217;s Georgia case may face difficulties following a recent Supreme Court ruling regarding presidential immunity\u2014a ruling also affecting Trump\u2019s January 6 case where no trial is currently anticipated due to unresolved questions.<\/p>\n<p>While Trump faced conviction on felony counts related to falsifying business records\u2014a charge carrying up to four years of imprisonment\u2014he will not face any penalties before voters cast their ballots thanks largely due to leveraging recent Supreme Court decisions.<\/p>\n<p>Judge Merchan&#8217;s postponement came after Trump requested delays based on arguments surrounding attention required from Supreme Court rulings before sentencing could proceed; Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg did not oppose this request either. The judge acknowledged that upcoming elections influenced his decision: \u201cThe imposition of sentence will be adjourned&#8230;to avoid any appearance&#8230;that the proceeding has been affected by or seeks to affect&#8230;the approaching Presidential election.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump welcomed this outcome on social media platforms claiming it demonstrated there was &#8220;NO CASE&#8221; against him while supporters suggested that imprisoning him prior would only bolster his electoral chances significantly.<\/p>\n<p>Critics from left-leaning circles condemned this decision as indicative of Republican influence over judicial proceedings and expressed disappointment over perceived lack of accountability for Trump\u2019s actions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":2338340,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/AP24250601749216.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[32431,32528,34319,3634,32076],"class_list":["post-2338339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-2024-election","tag-hunter-biden","tag-legal-battles","tag-trump","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/AP24250601749216.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2338339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2338339"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2338339\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2338340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2338339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2338339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2338339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}