Judge issues new ruling against Trump in hush money case

Judge Juan Merchan in New York state (USA) on December 16 said the verdict convicting US President-elect Donald Trump of paying hush money to a porn actress should be upheld, according to Reuters.

In a 41-page decision , Judge Merchan affirmed that "Mr. Trump's clearly personal falsification of business records does not pose a risk of encroachment on the authority and functions of the executive branch," according to Reuters.

Former US President Donald Trump, accompanied by his attorney Todd Blanche, speaks to the press as he arrives for a criminal trial on a hush money case at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City (USA) on May 30.

Mr. Trump’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Judge Merchan’s new ruling.

Previously, President-elect Trump's lawyers argued that letting the above case hang over his head during his presidency would hinder his ability to govern, according to Reuters.

Mr. Trump was originally scheduled to be sentenced on November 26, but Judge Merchan postponed it indefinitely after Mr. Trump won the 2024 US presidential election. Mr. Trump will take office on January 20, 2025.

In late May, Mr. Trump was indicted by a New York jury on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election. This was the first time a former or current U.S. president had been convicted or charged with a crime. Mr. Trump has denied all charges.

In July, the US Supreme Court, in a ruling arising from one of two federal cases brought against Mr Trump, held that presidents are immune from prosecution for their official acts and that juries cannot present evidence of official acts in trials of private conduct. It was the first time the court had recognized the extent of presidential immunity from prosecution.

President-elect Trump's lawyers argued that the jury that convicted him in New York was shown evidence by prosecutors about his social media posts as president and heard testimony from his former aides about conversations that took place at the White House during his 2017-2021 tenure.

Meanwhile, prosecutors at the office of U.S. Attorney Alvin Bragg in Manhattan (New York) argued that the Supreme Court's ruling had no bearing on the case, which they said involved "entirely unofficial conduct." In its ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court did not recognize any immunity for unofficial acts by a president, according to Reuters.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tham-phan-ra-phan-quyet-moi-bat-loi-cho-ong-trump-ve-vu-chi-tien-bit-mieng-185241217082949787.htm