President-elect Trump was spared any punishment for his hush money criminal conviction Friday when a New York judge sentenced him to an unconditional discharge, eschewing jail time while securing his status as the first person convicted of a felony to assume the presidency.

Judge Juan Merchan’s decision to release Trump with no strings attached caps the first and only criminal trial of a former president, less than two weeks before he’s set to return to the White House.

New York jurors in May found him guilty of 34 felonies over a scheme intended to unlawfully sway the 2016 election by concealing a payment to a porn actor to keep quiet about their alleged affair, which Trump has denied.

With the judge’s permission, Trump appeared virtually for Friday's sentencing, which lasted roughly 40 minutes.

Trump........

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