July 26th 2024.
Prosecutors in Manhattan have stated that there is no valid reason to overturn Donald Trump's conviction in the hush money case, following the recent ruling by the Supreme Court on presidential immunity. In a filing submitted on Thursday, they argued that any potential errors made during the trial were insignificant when compared to the overwhelming evidence that proved Trump's guilt.
Trump's lawyers, on the other hand, had argued that his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records should be thrown out, citing the Supreme Court's decision that evidence of a president's official actions cannot be used in a trial. They specifically pointed to testimony from former White House aide Hope Hicks and Trump's own tweets as evidence.
Currently, Trump is set to be sentenced in September, after a delay was granted to allow for arguments regarding the issue of immunity. However, the prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney's office have maintained that his conviction should stand.
They argued that the crimes Trump was found guilty of - falsifying business records in order to interfere in the 2016 presidential election - were not considered to be part of his official actions, and therefore, the Supreme Court's ruling on evidence does not apply to this case. They also pointed out that during the trial, Trump's attorneys did not object to the majority of the evidence they are now calling into question, and therefore, cannot challenge it now.
The prosecutors stated, "Despite the numerous pages dedicated to his motion, the evidence that Trump claims was affected by the Supreme Court's ruling is only a small portion of the extensive testimony and documentary proof that the jury used to find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Even if the Court determines that some evidence of official presidential actions was incorrectly admitted during the trial, Trump's request to have the verdict overturned should be rejected on the grounds that it was harmless, as there is overwhelming evidence of his guilt."
Addressing Trump's argument that his tweets should be considered official acts and therefore protected by immunity, the district attorney's office dismissed this claim, stating that his tweets were made in an unofficial capacity and therefore, not subject to immunity. They stated, "Trump is mistaken in his belief that the recent Supreme Court ruling would provide absolute immunity for these tweets. In fact, the Supreme Court explicitly acknowledged that Trump could make public statements - including tweets - in an unofficial capacity, such as if he were speaking as a political candidate or a party leader, rather than in his role as President using his Article II powers."
The testimony from Hope Hicks, who recalled a conversation she had with Trump in 2018, was also downplayed by the prosecutors. Hicks had stated that Trump had expressed concern about the impact of Stormy Daniels' allegations coming out before the election. However, the prosecutors argued that this testimony simply confirmed the abundance of evidence that already proved Trump's efforts to conceal both his encounter with Daniels and the wider Trump Tower conspiracy.
Finally, the district attorney's office also countered Trump's claim that the indictment should be dismissed because the grand jury had relied on evidence of official acts. They stated that the grand jury had not, in fact, used such evidence in their decision.
In response to the filing from the district attorney's office, Trump's lawyers have requested permission from the judge overseeing the case to file a response. In the meantime, sports fans can look forward to watching the Olympic Games Paris 2024 live and free on Channel 9 and 9Now, with every event also available ad-free and in 4K on Stan Sport.
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