Donald Trump tried to stop his sentencing for a felony conviction in the hush-money case in New York, but a state appeals court denied his request on Tuesday.
Trump, who is now the president-elect, is supposed to be sentenced on Friday—unless he can file a last-minute appeal in federal court or the Supreme Court. On Tuesday, Judge Ellen Gesmer listened to both sides in a short hearing and made her decision against Trump 30 minutes later.
During the hearing, Gesmer asked Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, if there was “any support for the idea that presidential immunity also applies to president-elects.”
Blanche admitted there was no direct example of such a case, saying, “There has never been a case like this before.” He argued that sitting presidents have immunity, but the judge reminded him that Trump was not yet president.
If Trump does get sentenced for his 34 felony convictions, he probably won’t go to jail. Judge Juan Merchan, who is in charge of the case, said as much last week. Trump was accused of using his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to cover up an affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
However, in July, the Supreme Court ruled that presidents have almost total immunity, which makes it unlikely Trump will face real punishment. His election in November also changed the situation, and his other criminal cases never reached trial before the Supreme Court or before the election. With just under two weeks until Trump is sworn in, he may not receive any significant penalty.
During a rambling press conference on Tuesday, the president-elect repeated his dislike for wind energy, even though it’s popular and efficient.
“They turn to garbage… The only people who want them are the ones making money off them and getting huge government subsidies. They cost many, many times more than clean natural gas,” Trump said. “We’re going to try to have a policy that stops windmills from being built.”
Despite Trump’s claims, wind energy is becoming more popular, especially in Republican-led states. In Texas, wind power provided 22 percent of the state’s electricity last year, while Iowa got 59 percent of its electricity from wind. It’s a growing, low-cost industry that employs 125,000 people.
But Trump seems to ignore reality and create his own stories. For example, he mentioned whale strandings in Massachusetts, blaming windmills for driving whales “crazy.” He claimed that only two whales washed ashore in the last 17 years, but suddenly 14 did this season—“obviously” because of windmills, according to him.
