If Justice Merchan had advised us that he needed more time to work through the complexities of the immunity issue, or that a delay in the sentencing was part of the ordinary course of business, I would have accepted it. But he didn’t. Instead, he made a decision based on politics that denied Americans information they could have used in the voting booth. That was a mistake.
Merchan is also sending a message that the outcome of the sentencing process may well be different if Trump loses. Much as I would like the man to spend time in jail, that would be a mistake, too. To the maximum extent possible, the criminal law and the political process should be completely separated here.