Donald Trump starts push to dismiss hush money convictions due to election win

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: USA Today

Published 11:59 a.m. ET Nov. 20, 2024 | Updated 12:00 p.m. ET Nov. 20, 2024


Lawyers for President-elect Donald Trump previewed their argument for tossing out his New York hush money case based on his election victory in a two-page letter released Wednesday that asked for a Dec. 20 deadline to more fully spell out their arguments. "On November 5. 2024, the Nation's People issued a mandate that supersedes the political motivations of (the Manhattan prosecutors)," the lawyers wrote. "This case must be immediately dismissed."

Trump was previously scheduled to be sentenced on his 34 felony convictions in the case Nov. 26. However, Judge Juan Merchan paused all deadlines following Trump's election victory, including the sentencing date.
Former President Donald Trump appears with his lawyers Todd Blanche, Emil Bove and Susan Necheles for his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, on May 28, 2024.

When, if ever, Trump will be sentenced is very much an open question. On Tuesday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg urged Merchan to wipe the Nov. 26 sentencing date off the calendar, and even raised the question of whether sentencing should happen before Trump's next presidency ends.

In the new letter, Trump's legal team asked permission to file its more formal motion by Dec. 20 to call for the case's dismissal in order to facilitate the transfer of power following Trump's election victory.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/11/20/trump-new-york-hush-money-dismissal-letter/76450820007/

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Link to LETTER (PDF viewer) - https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25352434-trump-111924-112024-letter-in-ny-criminal-case

Link to LETTER (PDF) - https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25352434/trump-111924-112024-letter-in-ny-criminal-case.pdf

[bluestarone]

1. Hate that the judge might drop this.

The bastard is not yet president.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. I don't think there was a sentiment of it being "dropped"

but more that it be held in abeyance until the end of the term (assuming no sentence happens before he takes office, even if it might actually be minor enough to not purportedly impact carrying out Presidential duties).

[sleroy49]

2. This is such a poor legal argument, but ...

This is such a poor legal argument, but I think he's going to get what he wants. I have spent most of my career as a prosecutor (currently the public defender) and this argument would be laughed at if I tried to make it for one of my clients. My gut is telling me the judge is going to cave though. In my jurisdiction the prosecution could appeal this type of decision, but I don't know about New York.

[William Seger]

3. If judges won't stand up for what's right, we're totally fucked

[Ponietz]

5. The law doesn't apply to him

But I sure respect and appreciate Bragg and Willis anyway for taking him on while Garland played patty cakes.
Retired PD myself 👊

[pnwmom]

7. OTOH, if the charges remain outstanding, that is one more motivation for Trump to try to retain office

with the help of his subservient SCOTUS.

[tonkatoy8888]

6. I can't follow their logic.

"On November 5. 2024, the Nation's People issued a mandate that supersedes the political motivations of (the Manhattan prosecutors)," the lawyers wrote. "This case must be immediately dismissed."

So what if Trump was elected President? What does that have to do with the price of eggs in China? By their logic if Trump, indeed, had shot and killed someone in the middle of 5th Avenue his murder conviction should be tossed out because he was elected President? A jury listened to the evidence and voted to convict. How is that some kind of "political persecution"?

Millions of Americans with rocks in their heads and hate in their hearts voted to elect this unrepentant sack of shit. The felony convictions are just part of the appeal, the icing on the cake.

[SunSeeker]

10. More than 50% of Americans voted for someone other than Trump.

That is NOT a mamdate.

[FakeNoose]

8. He wasn't president when he committed the crimes

Those felonies should stand for all time. He broke the F*-ing law.

[republianmushroom]

9. Sorry, but the election win didn't make donald innocent.

No matter what his attorneys say. He was tried and found guilty in a court of law. No amount of election wins change that, and he didn't get 50% of the popular vote, either. (last that I saw)

45 months and counting

[LudwigPastorius]

11. Typical Trump lawyer gibberish.

They claim the Constitution and the Presidential Transition Act mandate the dismissal of the case, then don't actually directly cite either one to back that up.