Trump's Hush Money Case Denied Move to Federal Court

A New York judge has rejected former President Trump's request to have his hush money criminal case moved from state to federal court, citing a Supreme Court's decision on presidential immunity.

A New York judge has denied former President Donald Trump's request to move his upcoming ABC debate against Vice President Kamala Harris to a different network. Trump's campaign senior adviser, Jason Miller, accused the Harris team of attempting to change the terms of the debate and undermining election integrity.

U.S. District Court Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled that there was nothing in the Supreme Court's recent presidential immunity ruling that alters his previous determination that private payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels were not related to Trump's official acts as president. The judge had previously concluded that Trump's reimbursement to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, for facilitating the hush money payments, did not constitute official acts.

Trump's Hush Money Case Denied Move to Federal Court

In his decision, Hellerstein emphasized that his holding of a hush money reimbursement remains intact regardless of the burden of proof. He stated that the Supreme Court's ruling does not affect his previous conclusion that the hush money payments were private, unofficial acts and outside the scope of executive authority.

The 2023 Supreme Court immunity decision limits prosecutors' ability to use official acts as evidence that a president's unofficial actions were illegal. Trump's lawyers had argued that jurors in the hush money case should not have heard evidence of former White House staffers discussing how the then-president reacted to media coverage of the Daniels deal.

Trump's Hush Money Case Denied Move to Federal Court

Trump was convicted in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a 2016 deal to pay off Daniels to remain silent about her alleged 2006 sexual encounter with him. Prosecutors argued that the payment was intended to prevent voters from learning potentially damaging information about Trump during his presidential campaign.

Trump has denied the allegations and has labeled his prosecution as a politically motivated witch hunt to sabotage his current White House bid. His campaign spokesperson, Steven Cheung, asserted that the case should be dismissed as per the Supreme Court's ruling and accused Harris and President Joe Biden of orchestrating hoaxes.

Trump's Hush Money Case Denied Move to Federal Court

Trump has also raised concerns over a conflict of interest involving New York Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the hush money case. He alleges that Merchan's daughter, Loren Merchan, has supported Democratic political candidates and suggests that this undermines the judge's impartiality.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has urged Merchan to postpone Trump's request to move his case to federal court until the judge rules on a motion to vacate the conviction due to presidential immunity and a request to delay sentencing. He contends that Trump's concerns about timing are a result of his own delaying litigation tactics.

Trump's Hush Money Case Denied Move to Federal Court

Merchan is expected to issue his ruling on the motion on September 16.