President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced Friday in his historic hush money case to an unconditional discharge -- allowing Trump to avoid prison, fines or probation, but cementing his status as a convicted felon just 10 days before he takes the oath of office for his second term.

During a brief virtual hearing, New York prosecutors blasted him for engaging in a "direct attack on the rule of law" and making efforts to "undermine its legitimacy" by attacking the judge and others involved in the case. Trump's defense team, which vowed to appeal, said the case should never have been brought and called it a "sad day for this country."

Judge Juan Merchan, who was a frequent target of Trump during the trial, said the unconditional discharge was the "only lawful sentence" to protect "the office of the president ... not the occupant of the office."