The New York judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial made a significant decision. In a Monday ruling, Judge Juan Merchan denied the president-elect's bid to vacate his guilty verdict on presidential immunity grounds. This decision came after Merchan also rejected Trump's argument that he was already protected by presidential immunity due to his election win. He firmly stated, "This court does not agree."Trump's Spokesman's Reaction
Trump's spokesman, Steven Cheung, bashed the ruling, calling it "a direct violation of the Supreme Court's decision on immunity." He emphasized that "This lawless case should have never been brought, and the Constitution demands that it be immediately dismissed."
Details of the Indictment
Trump was convicted in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment made by his then-lawyer Michael Cohen to porn star Stormy Daniels in the closing days of the 2016 presidential election. Daniels claimed to have had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, a claim he has denied. Trump's attorneys had argued that the indictment and verdict should be thrown out in light of a Supreme Court ruling issued weeks later that created a new standard for presidential immunity. Prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney's office contended that they should have been allowed to present evidence of Trump's "official acts" to jurors, including public statements relating to the case. However, prosecutors countered that the evidence did not affect the verdict and should be kept in place.
Judge's Analysis
Merchan agreed with the prosecutors, citing "the overwhelming evidence of guilt" presented by the district attorney's office. He said that some of Trump's "claims relate entirely to unofficial conduct and thus, receive no immunity protections." He further wrote, "[E]ven if this Court were to deem all of the contested evidence, both preserved and unpreserved, as official conduct falling within the outer perimeter of Defendant's Presidential authority, it would still find that the People's use of these acts as evidence of the decidedly personal acts of falsifying business records poses no danger of intrusion on the authority and function of the Executive Branch."
Sentencing and Other Matters
Merchan last month postponed sentencing while considering Trump's motions to dismiss the case. Trump has another, more sweeping motion that is still pending, and Merchan revealed in his order Monday that Trump also has a pending argument involving allegations of juror misconduct. The order did not mention the nature of the misconduct. Merchan instructed attorneys on both sides to file their letters about the issue publicly and with redactions. He has not set a new sentencing date. Trump is scheduled to be sworn in as president on Jan. 20.
