Gambiaj.com – (NEW YORK, United States) – Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan on Monday denied a motion to overturn President-elect Donald Trump’s conviction in the hush money case, despite arguments invoking a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity. The decision marks a pivotal moment in the historic case against the first former president to be convicted of a felony.
Trump, set to return to the presidency on January 20, was convicted in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records. The charges stemmed from a $130,000 payment made in 2016 to adult film actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claims of an alleged affair with Trump, which he denies. Prosecutors argued that the payment aimed to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.
Immunity Argument Rejected
Trump’s legal team argued that the Supreme Court’s June ruling, which shields ex-presidents from prosecution for official acts, invalidated some of the evidence presented at his trial. They claimed this included Trump’s presidential financial disclosures, testimony from White House aides, and social media posts made during his presidency.
In his ruling, Merchan rejected these claims, stating that even if some evidence touched on official acts, its inclusion was irrelevant to the core issue: Trump’s alleged falsification of business records for personal reasons. The judge emphasized that the evidence of guilt was “overwhelming” and any errors in the inclusion of contested evidence were “harmless.”
Merchan further noted that the Supreme Court’s decision explicitly stated, “not everything the president does is official.” He highlighted a prior federal court ruling concluding that the hush money payment and reimbursements pertained to Trump’s private life, not his official duties as president.
Trump communications director Steven Cheung condemned the decision, calling it a “direct violation” of the Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity and asserting that the case should be “immediately dismissed.” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, which brought the charges, declined to comment.
The case’s future remains uncertain, with Trump’s sentencing postponed indefinitely following his November election victory. Prosecutors have proposed several options to preserve the conviction without disrupting Trump’s presidency, including freezing the case until he leaves office in 2029 or closing it without sentencing.
Trump’s legal team has dismissed these proposals as “absurd” and argued that anything short of dismissal undermines the constitutional transfer of power and risks “unprecedented disruptions” to the presidency.
The hush money case is one of several legal challenges Trump has faced in recent years. In addition to his conviction, Trump was indicted four times in 2023. However, this case remains the only one to go to trial.
Two federal cases brought by special counsel Jack Smith — involving Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents — were dropped following his election victory. Meanwhile, a state election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia, has been largely paused. Trump denies wrongdoing in all cases.
As Trump prepares to return to the White House, the legal and political implications of his conviction remain profound. Prosecutors have called for accommodations to balance the demands of the presidency with accountability for criminal conduct, while Trump’s defense continues to fight for dismissal.
For now, Judge Merchan’s decision ensures that Trump’s conviction stands, even as questions linger about how the case will ultimately be resolved.
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