A New York judge has upheld the conviction of President-elect Donald Trump in a high-profile hush money case, rejecting his bid to dismiss the charges based on a recent Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity. This decision marks a pivotal moment in Trump's legal battles as he prepares to return to the White House in January 2025.
The case centers around allegations that Trump falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the final days of his 2016 presidential campaign.
The payment was allegedly intended to prevent Daniels from publicizing her claim of a past sexual encounter with Trump, which he denies. In May 2024, a New York jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts related to these actions, making him the first former or sitting U.S. president to be convicted of a felony.
Following the conviction, Trump's legal team sought to have the charges dismissed, citing a Supreme Court ruling that presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts performed while in office.
They argued that some evidence presented at trial, including testimony from former White House aides and social media posts made during Trump's presidency, violated this immunity.
However, Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the trial, rejected these arguments. In his ruling, Merchan emphasized that the charges against Trump stemmed from "private acts" conducted before he assumed the presidency.
He noted that the evidence in question did not pertain to official presidential duties and therefore did not fall under the scope of immunity protections. Merchan stated, "Even if prosecutors had erroneously introduced evidence that could be challenged under an immunity claim, such error was harmless in light of the overwhelming evidence of guilt."
Trump's spokesperson, Steven Cheung, criticized the ruling, calling it "a direct violation of the Supreme Court's decision on immunity." Cheung asserted, "This lawless case should have never been brought, and the Constitution demands that it be immediately dismissed." Despite these objections, the judge's decision stands, preserving Trump's historic conviction.
The implications of this ruling are profound, as Trump is set to become the first convicted felon to serve as President of the United States if his efforts to overturn the conviction fail. His legal team has indicated plans to appeal the decision, continuing their fight to clear his name before his inauguration on January 20, 2025.
Prosecutors in the case have proposed several options to accommodate Trump's upcoming presidency while maintaining the integrity of the conviction.
These suggestions include freezing the case until Trump leaves office in 2029, agreeing that any future sentence will not include jail time, or closing the case by acknowledging his conviction without imposing a sentence due to his presidential duties. This approach draws from practices in some states where a defendant's death after conviction but before sentencing results in a similar resolution.
The broader context of Trump's legal challenges includes multiple indictments and ongoing investigations. Last year, Trump faced four separate indictments, with the hush money case being the only one to proceed to trial.
Special counsel Jack Smith recently ended two federal cases against Trump, which focused on his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and accusations of hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Additionally, a state election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia, remains largely on hold.
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