- Donald Trump asks for hush money conviction to be overturned
- It comes after a Supreme Court ruling that Trump has some immunity from prosecution
- The ruling has led Trump’s lawyers to ask for the case to be thrown out as they say the ruling from the court means Trump should be granted immunity in the hush-money case
Trump asks for hush money conviction to be overturned
Donald Trump’s lawyers have asked to overturn his conviction in the hush money case and delay his sentencing, citing a recent Supreme Court ruling.
In May, Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records, with sentencing set for July 11. His lawyers argue that the records, signed during his presidency in 2017, should be considered official actions, now protected by the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity.
Previously, a judge ruled that Trump failed to prove his actions were official presidential duties. The Supreme Court decision grants immunity for official acts but not unofficial ones. This ruling came from a separate case about Trump allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 election.
President Biden criticised the Supreme Court’s decision, calling it a “dangerous precedent.” Trump’s lawyers’ letter to Judge Juan Merchan argues that some evidence in the New York case should be excluded based on this ruling.
The letter hasn’t been made public, and Judge Merchan hasn’t commented.
In the May trial, Trump was convicted by a Manhattan jury for falsifying business records related to payments to former adult film star Stormy Daniels, made to keep her quiet during the 2016 campaign. Prosecutors argued Trump broke election law by disguising the payment as legal expenses, which Trump called a “disgrace.”