Byron York: Judge Merchan’s Sentence Doesn’t Mean Trump ‘Has Not Paid a Huge Price’

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:
BAIER: “The other headline today, Byron, obviously the sentencing in New York. Here’s the president-elect.”
[Clip starts]
Trump: “It’s been a political witch-hunt. It was done to damage my reputation so that I would lose the election and, obviously, that didn’t work. And the people of our country got to see this firsthand because they watched the case in your courtroom. They got to see this firsthand and then they voted and I won it.”
MERCHAN: “At this time I impose that sentence to cover all 34 counts. Sir, I wish you godspeed as you assume the second term in office.”
[Clip ends]
BAIER: “Godspeed, Byron, after all of that. And no real sentence. No time, no fine, no nothing.”
YORK: “This sentence called unconditional discharge is really nothing. No jail time. No fine, no community service, no probation, no nothing. But I think it was really a realization or an admission on the judge’s part that he is a county judge, he has no power to impose a sentence and enforce a sentence on a president of the United States. I mean, Judge Merchan said at the beginning this is an extremely unusual case and boy was that true? On the other hand, when you look at the sentence of nothing. That doesn’t mean that Donald Trump has not paid a huge price in this in terms of his time, his money, his political energy, and his reputation. This trial basically covered the entire Republican primary process. And then the entire general election. And it was very debilitating for Trump. A lot of trouble. A lot of attention that it took that he could have devoted to other things. It was a very costly matter.”