Trump Attorneys Request Reversal of Hush Money Conviction in Light of Supreme Court Decision

In the hush money trial, Trump’s legal team has asked for a postponement of the sentencing process, referencing the Supreme Court’s ruling on immunity.

According to US media sources, Donald Trump’s legal team has asked for his conviction in the hush money case to be reversed and for his sentencing to be postponed.

This comes after the former president was granted immunity from prosecution for official actions performed during his reign by the Supreme Court in a recent verdict.

The Supreme Court’s ruling is cited as support for the appeal in a letter from Trump’s attorneys to the New York judge presiding over the case. Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11 after being found guilty on 34 charges of fabricating business records in May.

His legal team contends that because the documents were signed in 2017, while he was president, they are considered official acts for the purposes of the immunity rule.

Similar arguments were previously rejected by a federal judge who said that Trump had not proven that his acts were connected to his official responsibilities as president. Nonetheless, Trump’s attorneys have decided to resubmit their claims in light of the Supreme Court’s latest ruling.

The decision made it clear that a president’s immunity only applies to “official acts” and does not include “unofficial acts.”

This Supreme Court decision, which Trump has hailed as a “huge victory” for democracy, relates to a different lawsuit in which he is charged with trying to void the results of the 2020 election. The decision has drawn criticism from President Joe Biden, who described it as a “dangerous precedent” that compromises the rule of law.

In a letter delivered on Monday to Judge Juan Merchan, Trump’s legal team argues that the Supreme Court’s ruling should bar some of the evidence used in the New York trial. Judge Merchan has not yet replied to the request, and the letter has not been made public.

A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty on all charges in the initial trial following the testimony of multiple witnesses, including Stormy Daniels, a former adult film star. The case revolved around claims that Trump broke election laws by hiding a payment to Daniels in the closing days of his 2016 campaign under the guise of attorney fees. Trump called the decision a “disgrace.”