New York, Dec. 4, (dpa/GNA) – Donald Trump’s lawyers have requested that the president-elect’s guilty verdict on 34 counts for concealing hush money payments to a porn star be thrown out of court.
In an 80-page motion published on Tuesday by the Supreme Court of New York County, Trump’s lawyers populated the document with references to US President Joe Biden’s Sunday pardon of his son Hunter.
Trump has nominated one of his lawyers on this case, Todd Blanche, to be deputy attorney general of the United States.
In Biden’s reversal of his promise not to pardon his son, he condemned “raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice.”
Trump’s attorneys seized on this, saying Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg engaged “in precisely the type of political theater that President Biden condemned.” They also pointed to a recent US Supreme Court decision giving a US president broad immunity.
In late May, New York City jurors found Trump guilty on 34 counts involving the illegal concealment of $130,000 in hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels to gain advantages in the 2016 election campaign.
It was the first time in the history of the US that a former president was convicted of a crime. If the verdict stands, Trump will also be the first US president to govern as a convicted felon.
Bragg has until Monday to file a response, after which Judge Juan Merchan will decide on the next steps.
It is unclear what will happen next. Bragg’s office had shown an openness to delaying sentencing until after the end of the Trump’s second four-year term, although the conviction would remain. If so that would mean delivering a sentence before Trump’s presidential inauguration on January 20 is practically impossible.
The sentence was initially set to be announced long before the US election, but Trump’s lawyers were able to get it postponed. On paper he is facing a multi-year prison term, though many observers believe probation or a fine to be most likely for a first time conviction.
Sensational trial – Trump pushes victim narrative
Trump was present throughout the trial earlier this year. Although the case fundamentally involved financial fraud, the prosecution had Daniels recount in great detail a night with Trump that allegedly involved sex.
Embarrassing details continuously emerged, including that the encounter took place at a golf tournament while Trump’s wife Melania was pregnant.
Trump denies having had sex with Daniels, but not that hush money was paid. He used court appearances to portray himself as a victim of the judiciary and to solicit donations for his 2024 presidential campaign.
Time and again, he brought numerous political supporters into the courtroom. Many of them are now expected to be handed high government positions.
GNA