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From the Associated Press: A judge Monday refused to throw out President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money conviction because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity. But the overall future of the historic case remains unclear.
Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan’s decision blocks one potential off-ramp from the case ahead of the former and future president’s return to office next month. His lawyers have raised other arguments for dismissal, however. It’s unclear when — or whether — a sentencing date might be set.
Prosecutors have said there should be some accommodation for his upcoming presidency, but they insist the conviction should stand.
A jury convicted Trump in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels in 2016. Trump denies wrongdoing.
Trump has emphatically and repeatedly denied that anything sexual ever happened between himself and Daniels.
In his ruling on Monday, Merchan claimed that any evidence presented in the trial was related “entirely to unofficial conduct and thus, receive no immunity protections.”
The judge also declared that even if some evidence was related to official conduct, he would still conclude that prosecutors’ decision to use “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.”
The report notes that prosecutors have proposed several ways to preserve the conviction against Trump, including agreeing that any future sentencing would not include jail time.
Podcast Alec Lace posted a prior interview he had with Trump’s FBI Director nominee Kash Patel.
In the interview, Patel noted that the judge was married to a woman who worked for New York Attorney General Letitia James.
“Incoming FBI Director Kash Patel called out House Republicans months ago for not subpoenaing Judge Merchan & his daughter for their corruption!” Lace noted.
🚨 Judge Juan Merchan has REJECTED President Trump’s attempt to overturn his conviction on the basis of Presidential Immunity
Incoming FBI Director Kash Patel called out House Republicans months ago for not subpoenaing Judge Merchan & his daughter for their corruption! pic.twitter.com/cUxtcyxEEG
— Alec Lace (@AlecLace) December 17, 2024
Attorney Mike Davis reacted to the ruling, and wrote, “The Supreme Court’s June presidential-immunity ruling requires Democrat Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan to declare a mistrial. But Merchan once again ignores the clear law. His daughter Loren could lose a lot of Democrat funding if her dad ruled any other way. Clear corruption.”
The Supreme Court’s June presidential-immunity ruling requires Democrat Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan to declare a mistrial.
But Merchan once again ignores the clear law.
His daughter Loren could lose a lot of Democrat funding if her dad ruled any other way.
Clear corruption. pic.twitter.com/HLU1bQaTmK
— 🇺🇸 Mike Davis 🇺🇸 (@mrddmia) December 17, 2024
BREAKING: A New York judge rejects President-elect Donald Trump’s bid to have his hush money conviction dismissed because of Supreme Court immunity ruling. https://t.co/Wk6RVuaNY2
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 17, 2024
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