President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced today in New York City, months after a New York

jury found him guilty of 34 felony counts, falsifying business documents to cover up an extramarital

affair.

But Judge Juan Mershan granted the president-elect what's called an unconditional discharge,

a sentence that affirms he is a convicted felon, but faces no further

penalties, fines, or any time in jail.

Our William Brangham was in court in New York this morning and joins us now.

So William, tell us a little bit more about this unconditional discharge.

How did Judge Juan Mershan explained his rationale for what some are calling a lenient

sentence? I mean, on one hand, this wasn't a surprise. The judge had telegraphed this in a memo

earlier. But yes, this is a relatively rare situation to have a defendant convicted of 34 felony

convictions and face no jail time,

no penalties, no fines, no probation. Mershant, in describing today, said that on one hand,

this was a trial that was very ordinary. It unfolded in an ordinary way. Jury was selected.

Judges, I mean, the lawyers gave their arguments,

witnesses were heard, a verdict was reached. But he said, because of the defendant, this was an

extraordinary trial, and sentencing him would be the same. Mershant said that if Donald Trump

had been a regular citizen, a regular defendant, that he

would have likely have faced much harsher punishment for those crimes.

But because Donald Trump is about to become president of the United States again, that

comes with the enormous protections, the judge said.

Those are granted by the Constitution, many other courts, and most

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