Trump says New York conviction should be overturned after Supreme Court immunity ruling

CNN —

Donald Trump urged the judge in his New York bribery case to overturn his conviction in light of the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity last month, according to a new court filing.

Trump's lawyers argued in a 55-page filing that the jury's guilty verdict should be overturned because the district attorney's office relied on evidence at trial related to Trump's official acts as president, which Trump's lawyers say should not have been allowed in light of the Supreme Court's recent immunity ruling.

To vindicate the doctrine of presidential immunity and protect the interests implicated by its foundations, the jury verdicts must be set aside and the indictment dismissed, Trump's lawyers wrote to Judge Juan Merchan.

The Manhattan U.S. Attorney General violated the doctrine of presidential immunity and the Supremacy Clause by relying on evidence of President Trump’s official acts in 2017 and 2018 to unfairly prejudice President Trump in this unprecedented and baseless prosecution over alleged business records, Trump’s lawyers wrote. Much of the evidence of unconstitutional official acts concerned actions taken under the core executive power to which absolute immunity applies.

The district attorney's office declined to comment for this article.

Last week, Merchan postponed Trump’s sentencing to allow him to file his motion to vacate the conviction. The district attorney’s office will respond later this month, and Merchan said he would decide the matter in September, with a possible sentencing scheduled for Sept. 18, if necessary.

Merchan had originally set Thursday as Trump’s sentencing date, following his conviction in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records, when Trump became the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime. But that timetable was scrapped after the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity last month, in which the court’s conservative wing held that presidents enjoy absolute immunity for essential official acts.

In their filing, Trump's lawyers cited trial testimony, including from White House officials Hope Hicks and Madeleine Westerhout, that they said should not have been presented to the jury, as well as tweets he sent while president.

All of Hicks’ testimony about the events of 2018, when she was White House communications director, concerned official acts based on the core authority of Article II for which President Trump is entitled to absolute immunity, Trump’s lawyers argued. Trump specifically prohibits prosecutors from introducing testimony from a presidential adviser for the purpose of investigating the official act.

The filing says Westerhout was forced to testify about national security issues and her work for Trump, calling prosecutors' questioning invasive.

The compelled and invasive testimony included information about President Trump's work habits, preferences, relationships and contacts in an official capacity, as well as his social media practices at the White House, Trump's lawyers argued.

Trump's lawyers pointed to a March 2018 text message that Westerhout sent to Hicks while they were White House advisers working for Trump: Hey, the president wants to know if you called David Pecker again.

Additionally, Trump's lawyers wrote that Trump, while president, used his Twitter account as one of the White House's primary vehicles for conducting official business.

More generally, allowing prosecutors to use the president’s public statements on matters of public interest in criminal proceedings would diminish the president’s willingness and ability to communicate with the public, they wrote. It would result in an impermissible intrusion into the authority and functions of the executive branch and an undermining of the presidency.

Trump's lawyers also criticized the district attorney's office for not waiting for the Supreme Court before bringing the case to trial.

At its core, the pressure campaign theory was about DANY’s efforts to ascribe criminal motive to actions taken by President Trump in 2018 as commander in chief with responsibility for the entire executive branch, his lawyers wrote. The Manhattan district attorney urged this court to preempt the Supreme Court on a federal constitutional question with serious implications for the functioning of the federal government and the relationship between state and federal officials. The bottom line is clear: DANY was wrong, very wrong.

Following the Supreme Court's decision, Trump's lawyers filed a letter to the judge earlier this month asking for permission to file a motion to overturn the verdict.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs' team responded earlier this month by saying Trump's argument was meritless, but also that it did not oppose delaying sentencing while Merchan decides Trump's motion.

The judge announced the same day that he would allow both sides to file briefs this month and that he would rule on the matter on September 6. Trump's sentencing would be postponed until September 18, Merchan wrote if that were still necessary.

The district attorney's response to Trump is expected on July 24.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/11/politics/trump-new-york-conviction-argument/index.html The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos