Manhattan Prosecutors Push to Uphold Conviction Despite Recent Supreme Court Ruling
Manhattan prosecutors are urging the judge overseeing Donald Trump’s hush-money trial to uphold his conviction, despite the former president’s efforts to use a recent Supreme Court ruling to overturn the case. The prosecutors argue that the Supreme Court’s decision in July, granting Trump broad immunity for official acts during his presidency, does not apply to his 2023 conviction.
Trump was convicted in May on 34 felony counts related to falsifying records to cover up a hush-money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election campaign. The payment, made by Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen, was intended to silence Daniels’ story about an alleged affair with Trump. Prosecutors emphasized that the case revolved around Trump’s actions outside of his presidential duties and did not involve official conduct as president.
Trump’s defense team recently argued that the Supreme Court ruling on official immunity should invalidate some of the evidence used in his conviction, including testimony from former White House employees and presidential tweets. However, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office has countered this argument, asserting that Trump missed the opportunity to raise this defense earlier and misinterpreted the ruling.
The case is now in the hands of Justice Juan Merchan, who will decide on September 6 whether to uphold the conviction. If upheld, Trump could face up to four years in prison, though the judge has the discretion to impose a lighter sentence, such as a few weeks of jail time or probation.
