Trump Case: Sentencing For Hush Money Postponed Amid Legal Controversies
Donald Trump’s hush money case remains in the spotlight as the judge has rescheduled it to September 18, 2024. A pending Supreme Court ruling was the main reason for postponing the Trump case. Concerning the presidential immunity, Trump’s attorneys used it as leverage to achieve this delay. Thus, we won’t learn the jury’s verdict until the autumn.
District Attorney’s Office has already made a statement about this new development. It seems they are quite sure of winning the case and not at all concerned about it happening a bit later. Assistant District Attorney Josh Steinglass noted that while they consider the defendant’s arguments to lack merit, they do not object to his request for permission to file or postpone sentencing until his motion is resolved.
The former US President Donald Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. He allegedly paid hush money to Stormy Daniels in 2016. The latter aimed to bolster his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election. The repayment fact and the new information coming to light built and expanded Trump’s court case.
Key Dates of The Trump Case
The judge gave him until July 10, 2024, to present his arguments. Meanwhile, the district attorney must submit their response by July 24, 2024. Originally, the jury should give a verdict on July 11, 2024. However, as the former President’s attorneys achieved to get the trump case dismissed for now, the ruling on the motion is now scheduled for September 6, 2024. Furthermore, US citizens have to wait until September 18, 2024, 10 a.m., for sentencing results.
What Are the Defense Arguments?
Trump’s defence team argues that the court should overturn the conviction due to the presidential immunity. They have already presented various pieces of evidence. That includes tweets, a government ethics form, and testimony from Hope Hicks.
During the trial, Hicks testified that Donald Trump preferred the story of his alleged affair to emerge after the 2016 election. Prosecutor Josh Steinglass described her testimony as “devastating.” Hicks was quite distraught during the testimony, bursting into tears while on the stand. Thus, her words made quite an impact on the attendees.
Meanwhile, Defence attorney Todd Blanche argued that the verdicts in this case breach the presidential immunity doctrine. Thus, they pose significant risks of creating internal conflicts within the Executive Branch. He even mentioned that they got “an Executive Branch that cannibalizes itself due to this case.”
The Supreme Court and Federal Court Rulings
The Supreme Court ruled that the District Attorney’s Office can’t use the testimony or private records of the President or his advisers regarding such conduct as evidence in the trial. Thus, Trump got presumptive immunity from criminal prosecution for his actions while in office.
On the other hand, the Federal judge in the trump case – Alvin Hellerstein, decided that the former President’s actions were a personal matter. Thus, they should be separate from his official duties.
Still, the Trump case had a bit impact on US politics. And now, this new legal controversy will likely affect several of Trump’s legal proceedings and election. It will mostly influence the hush money case, though.
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