Donald Trump’s legal team has requested that his conviction in the hush money case be overturned, and his sentencing postponed, according to reports from US media.
This follows a recent Supreme Court ruling granting the former president immunity from prosecution for official actions taken during his tenure.
The letter from Trump’s lawyers to the New York judge overseeing the case cites the Supreme Court’s decision as grounds for the appeal. Trump was convicted in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records and is set to be sentenced on July 11.
His legal team argues that since the records were signed during his presidency in 2017, they fall under the scope of official acts covered by the immunity ruling.
Previously, a federal judge dismissed similar arguments, stating that Trump had not demonstrated that his actions were related to his official duties as president. However, the Supreme Court’s recent decision has prompted Trump’s lawyers to renew their claims.
The ruling clarified that while a president has immunity for “official acts,” this does not extend to “unofficial acts.”
This Supreme Court verdict, celebrated by Trump as a “big win” for democracy, pertains to a separate case in which he is accused of attempting to overturn the 2020 election results. President Joe Biden has criticised the ruling, calling it a “dangerous precedent” that undermines the rule of law.
The letter from Trump’s legal team, sent to Judge Juan Merchan on Monday, contends that certain evidence presented in the New York trial should be excluded based on the Supreme Court’s decision. The letter has not been made public, and Judge Merchan has yet to respond to the request.
In the original trial, a Manhattan jury convicted Trump on all counts after hearing testimony from several witnesses, including former adult film star Stormy Daniels. The case centred around allegations that Trump concealed a payment to Daniels during the final days of his 2016 campaign by disguising it as legal expenses, thereby violating election laws. Trump has denounced the verdict as a “disgrace.”
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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