Trump has lost another attempt to overturn the criminal conviction on the grounds of presidential immunity
Kyiv • UNN
Judge Alvin Hellerstein upheld Trump's conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records. He stated that the payments to Stormy Daniels were not an official act.
A federal judge in the United States on August 28 rejected another attempt by President Donald Trump to have his 34-count conviction for falsifying business records overturned. Axios reported this, citing Judge Alvin Hellerstein’s ruling, writes UNN.
Details
Hellerstein concluded that Trump’s arguments were "neither new nor legally sufficient." The president attempted to use the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity for official acts as grounds for reviewing his case.
There is no way that discussions about hush-money payments intended to conceal the president’s relationship with Stormy Daniels could constitute an official act
Why Trump attempted to move the case to federal court
Trump was found guilty in May 2024 on all 34 counts of falsifying business records. According to prosecutors, the records were used to conceal a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels on the eve of the 2016 presidential election.
Trump attempted to move the case from state court to federal court, citing presidential immunity. However, Hellerstein also ruled that the motion had been filed too late and that the circumstances of the case did not fall within the scope of official presidential powers.
Trump’s legal team maintains that the Supreme Court’s ruling on immunity and U.S. law require the case to be moved to federal court, the conviction to be overturned, and the proceedings to be dismissed. Instead, Hellerstein’s latest ruling leaves the conviction in force.