According to a report by BBC on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, Donald Trump’s legal team has formally requested the overturning of his conviction in the hush money case, branding May’s verdict a “disgrace.”
The former president’s lawyers are also seeking to delay his sentencing, which is scheduled for July 11, according to American media reports.
In a letter addressed to New York Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the trial, Trump’s lawyers argue that the recent Supreme Court ruling granting Trump immunity from prosecution for official actions taken while in office should lead to the conviction being set aside.
The Supreme Court’s Monday ruling, which Trump has heralded as a “big win” for democracy, found that a president is immune from prosecution for “official acts” but not for “unofficial acts.”
This decision came from a separate case in which Trump was accused of attempting to illegally overturn the 2020 presidential election results in favor of Joe Biden.
Reacting to the Supreme Court ruling, President Biden described it as a “dangerous precedent” that undermined the “rule of law” in America.
Trump’s lawyers assert that the Supreme Court’s latest decision supports their defense in the New York case, arguing that some prosecution evidence should not have been allowed as it pertained to official presidential acts.
The letter to Judge Merchan states that Trump signed off the disputed business records during his tenure in the White House in 2017, which they contend should be considered as official actions.
Last year, Trump’s legal team made a similar argument, claiming that the allegations involved official acts within the scope of his presidential duties.
However, a federal judge previously ruled that Trump had failed to demonstrate that his conduct was “for or relating to any act performed by or for the President under the color of official acts of a president.”
In May, a Manhattan jury convicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
The court found that Trump had disguised hush money payments as legal expenses to conceal an alleged sexual encounter with former adult film star Stormy Daniels.
This payment was made during the final days of his 2016 election campaign to buy Daniels’ silence.
Prosecutors argued that by disguising the payments as legal expenses, Trump had broken election law. Witnesses, including Stormy Daniels, testified during the trial, reinforcing the prosecution’s case that the payments were part of an unlawful scheme to influence the election outcome.
Trump vehemently denied the accusations and called the verdict a “disgrace.”
The letter from Trump’s lawyers to Judge Merchan has not yet been made public, and the judge has not commented on the matter.
If the court agrees to consider the Supreme Court ruling in the context of Trump’s case, it could lead to significant developments in the legal proceedings against the former president.
As the July 11 sentencing date approaches, Trump’s legal team is working to delay it, arguing that the Supreme Court ruling fundamentally changes the legal landscape of the case.
Should the court agree to overturn the conviction or delay the sentencing, it would mark a major victory for Trump amid his numerous legal challenges.
The request to overturn Trump’s conviction has elicited strong reactions from both his supporters and critics.
Trump’s allies see the Supreme Court ruling as vindication of his actions and a confirmation of their long-standing belief in his innocence.
Conversely, his detractors view the ruling and the subsequent legal maneuvers as undermining accountability and the rule of law.
