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New York Judge Juan Merchan allowed media organizations to record the audio from inside the courtroom as he sentenced President-elect Donald Trump on Friday to an “unconditional discharge” in the hush money case in which he was found guilty by a jury last year of 34 counts of falsifying business records.
It is the first time in the trial that recordings are being made available to the public from inside the courtroom. Trump appeared at the sentencing virtually from Florida.
“At this time, I impose that sentence to cover all 34 counts,” Merchan said. “Donald Trump, the ordinary citizen, Donald Trump the criminal defendant, would not be entitled to such considerable protections,” he added about the unique circumstances surrounding the sentencing.
Rebecca Shabad is a politics reporter for NBC News based in Washington.
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