Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg informed a New York court on Tuesday that his office plans to oppose US President-elect, Donald Trump’s motion to dismiss his hush-money case.
However, Bragg is open to postponing sentencing, which was initially scheduled for later this month.
In May, a jury convicted Trump on all 34 counts of falsifying business records, making him the first American president to be found guilty of a crime. Prosecutors successfully argued during the six-week trial that Trump manipulated business records to hide damaging stories, including an alleged affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels, ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Since the conviction, several significant events have altered the landscape of the case. In July, the Supreme Court ruled that presidents are immune from criminal prosecution for official acts performed while in office.
Although the court did not define “official acts,” Trump’s legal team argues that the conviction should be overturned in light of this ruling. A hearing on the matter, originally scheduled for November, has since been delayed.
Adding to the complexity, Trump’s inauguration on January 20th following his election victory will grant him temporary immunity from prosecution during his presidency. In response to these developments, Bragg argued, “No current law establishes that a president’s temporary immunity from prosecution requires dismissal of a post-trial criminal proceeding that was initiated at a time when the defendant was not immune from criminal prosecution and that is based on unofficial conduct for which the defendant is also not immune.”
Bragg indicated that his office would use the delay to assess its options, including whether to pause the case until after Trump’s presidential term concludes. The timing of Judge Juan Merchan’s ruling on the case’s future remains uncertain.
(CNN)
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