Donald Trump became the first US president to be convicted of a crime in May – now he has requested the judge to throw out his guilty verdict.
Former President Donald Trump has asked the Manhattan judge in his hush money case to throw out his guilty verdict in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that granted him absolute immunity for official acts committed as president.
The request came in a letter to Judge Juan Merchan on Monday (local time) sent by the 78-year-old former president’s lawyers, which asks the jurist for permission to file a motion to postpone Trump’s July 11 sentencing and dismiss the case,New York Post confirmed.
Trump’s legal team is required to notify Merchan in writing before any motions related to the case can be filed.
The letter is expected to be made public on Tuesday, after which Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office will be given a chance to respond.
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at his criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on May 30, 2024. Picture: Mark Peterson / POOL / AFP
The request, first reported by the New York Times, came 10 days before Trump is expected to be sentenced in the case where he was convicted by a jury of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records during his 2016 presidential campaign in an effort to keep an alleged sexual encounter with porn star Stormy Daniels out of the public sphere.
The defence team’s missive asks Merchan to consider how the Supreme Court’s Monday ruling impacts Trump’s historic May 30 conviction.
The high court’s ruling prevents prosecutors from charging a president for any official acts or using evidence involving official acts to further a prosecution.
The Supreme Court, however, left it up to lower courts to determine what constitutes an official act.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
