{"id":2289061,"date":"2024-07-04T05:56:01","date_gmt":"2024-07-04T09:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-immunity-could-complicate-trumps-hush-money-conviction-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-07-04T06:03:13","modified_gmt":"2024-07-04T10:03:13","slug":"how-immunity-could-complicate-trumps-hush-money-conviction-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-immunity-could-complicate-trumps-hush-money-conviction-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"How immunity could complicate Trump\u2019s hush money conviction &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-immunity-could-complicate-trumps-hush-money-conviction-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2289061&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Ashington\u2064 Examiner&#8217;s article discusses how former President Donald Trump is seeking\u2062 to have his hush money\u2062 conviction overturned by factoring in the Supreme Court&#8217;s ruling \u2063on presidential immunity. Trump&#8217;s attorneys argue that certain witness testimonies\u2063 and \u200c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-this-average-american-is-voting-for-donald-trump\/\" title=\"Why This Average American Is Voting for Donald Trump\">social media posts<\/a> should not have been used as \u2063evidence\u2062 in his trial. They plan to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-snubs-gop-leaders-on-new-iran-diplomacy\/\" title=\"Biden Admin Snubs GOP Leaders on New Iran Diplomacy\">provide specific details<\/a> to the\u2063 court by July\u200d 10. <\/p>\n<p>The article highlights \u200bthe testimonies of \u2062White House staff, including Hope Hicks and\u2064 Madeleine\u200c Westerhout, and how their statements were used by prosecutors\u2062 to support their argument\u2064 that Trump \u200cparticipated in a cover-up. Trump&#8217;s attorneys\u200d are expected to argue\u2062 that these communications with White House staff should be considered official acts, which are immune\u200d from prosecution.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, \u2062Trump&#8217;s \u200cattorneys plan to challenge the use\u2063 of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/teachers-union-official-compiled-list-of-nearby-wealthy-jews-calling-them-gluttons-and-thieves\/\" title=\"Teachers Union Official Creates List of Wealthy Jewish Individuals, Using Offensive Language\">social media \u2062posts made<\/a> by\u2062 Trump \u2064in 2018 as \u200bevidence in the trial. They argue that \u200cthese posts constitute official statements to the public and should be\u200b protected \u200bunder\u2062 immunity.<\/p>\n<p>The article\u2062 concludes by noting that Judge \u2063Juan Merchan has agreed to review Trump&#8217;s immunity\u2064 arguments and prosecutors&#8217; counterpoints, with \u200da decision on whether to throw out Trump&#8217;s guilty verdict expected on September 6. Merchan also delayed Trump&#8217;s \u200dsentencing to September 18 pending the\u200c outcome of the immunity arguments.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\">\n<div class=\"tdb-search-form-inner\"><input class=\"tdb-head-search-form-input\" placeholder=\" \" type=\"text\" value name=\"s\" autocomplete=\"off\"><button class=\"wpb_button wpb_btn-inverse btn tdb-head-search-form-btn\" title=\"Search\" type=\"submit\"><span>Search<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">How immunity could complicate Trump\u2019s hush money conviction<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> <a class=\"tdb-author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/author\/ashley-oliver\/\">Ashley Oliver<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2024-07-04T05:00:00-04:00\">July 4, 2024 5:00 am<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1692504\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> asked a judge in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-york\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">New York<\/a> this week to factor the Supreme Court\u2019s ruling on presidential immunity into his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/donald-trumps-criminal-hush-money-trial-set-for-march-25\/\" title=\"Trump&#039;s hush money trial scheduled for March 25\">hush money trial<\/a> with the aim of having his conviction tossed out.<\/p>\n<p>While the high court\u2019s ruling that presidents have some immunity from criminal prosecution was related to a separate case in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-dc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Washington, D.C.\">Washington, D.C.<\/a>, Trump\u2019s attorneys <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3067284\/trump-argues-hush-money-verdict-immunity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>plan<\/a> to argue that the decision has bearing on his Manhattan trial.<\/p>\n<p>The attorneys wrote in a preliminary letter to Judge Juan Merchan that certain witness testimony and social media posts should not have been used during the trial based on the Supreme Court\u2019s ruling that a president\u2019s immunized official acts cannot be used as evidence in a prosecution.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnder[[<em>Trump v. United States<\/em>], this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/barrett-partially-agrees-with-sotomayor-dissent-on-whether-trump-should-stand-trial-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Barrett partially agrees with Sotomayor dissent on whether Trump should stand trial - Washington Examiner\">official-acts evidence<\/a> should never have been put before the jury,\u201d Trump\u2019s attorneys wrote.<\/p>\n<p>The attorneys are set to provide specific details to the court about the evidence they believe was improperly used by July 10. Below is a look at what evidence Trump\u2019s team is expected to highlight, as well as a look at how the coming months will play out in the case.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">White House staff testimony<\/h2>\n<p>Hope Hicks, a former Trump spokeswoman, testified during the hush money trial about a conversation she had with Trump in 2018 in which they strategized about a story that broke in the <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em> about porn star Stormy Daniels.<\/p>\n<p>Madeleine Westerhout, a former Trump White House aide, also testified about how she thought Trump felt about the 2018 story and about how she witnessed Trump sign checks from his Oval Office.<\/p>\n<p>Trump was charged with falsifying records of a payment his former attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in the lead-up to the 2016 election to conceal an affair Trump allegedly had with her.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors used Hicks\u2019s and Westerhout\u2019s testimony to support their argument that Trump knowingly participated in a cover-up of the payment and that doing so illegally undermined the 2016 election.<\/p>\n<p>While their testimonies were less relevant to the charges than that of some other witnesses, prosecutors still found Hicks and Westerhout pertinent enough to call them to the stand. In his closing statement, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass described Hicks\u2019s testimony as \u201cdevastating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Supreme Court did not address every conceivable presidential act, but it said acts could be divided into three buckets: official acts that are absolutely immune from prosecution, official acts that are presumptively immune from prosecution and require adequate rebuttals from prosecutors, and unofficial acts that are not immune at all. The high court gave guidance on certain acts that suggests Trump\u2019s communication with his White House staff could be considered official conduct.<\/p>\n<p>Absolutely immune activity is entirely off limits in criminal cases; presidents cannot be prosecuted for them and they cannot be used as evidence in criminal proceedings, according to the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Social media posts in 2017<\/h2>\n<p>Whether a president commenting to the general public is an official act is among the \u201cdifficult questions\u201d lower court judges must now answer, the Supreme Court ruled. The high court noted judges like Merchan will have to engage in a \u201cfact-specific analysis\u201d to reach their conclusions.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s attorneys signaled that they plan to argue that social media posts Trump made in 2018, while he was president, constituted statements to the public that are immunized official acts and that prosecutors therefore should not have used them in the trial.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors <a href=\"https:\/\/pdfs.nycourts.gov\/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543\/Evidence\/People\/5-10-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>used<\/a> several of Trump\u2019s X posts from 2018 as evidence, including one in May 2018 about how Trump\u2019s company had a retainer with Cohen and one from August 2018 showing Trump had soured on his former attorney.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What\u2019s to come<\/h2>\n<p>When Trump\u2019s attorneys asked Merchan this week for permission to lay out their immunity case, prosecutors for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg responded that they believe Trump\u2019s arguments for scrapping the trial are \u201cwithout merit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Merchan agreed to allow Trump\u2019s attorneys to submit a detailed memorandum to the court about the evidence they believe was improperly used by July 10, and the judge gave prosecutors a deadline of July 24 to submit their responses.<\/p>\n<p>Merchan\u2019s decision to review Trump\u2019s immunity arguments and prosecutors\u2019 counterpoints also forced the judge to push back Trump\u2019s sentencing for his conviction.<\/p>\n<p>Merchan said he will decide on whether to throw out Trump\u2019s guilty verdict on Sept. 6 and then he will sentence Trump on Sept. 18 if it is \u201cstill necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Merchan\u2019s decision to entertain the immunity claims does not necessarily mean the judge will find that a few items of inappropriately used evidence is worth discounting the whole trial. The case was largely focused on a payment to Daniels that occurred before Trump took office. Moreover, a federal judge previously ruled when Trump attempted to move his case to federal court that Bragg\u2019s charges involved private acts, including Trump signing checks in 2017, that are not protected by immunity.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, predicted that Merchan, who has at times shown little patience with Trump\u2019s defense team, would deny Trump\u2019s request. Turley also said, however, that a denial from Merchan would discredit critics of the Supreme Court\u2019s decision who argued it gave presidents a pass to break the law.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGiven Judge Merchan\u2019s record in the case, it is fair to assume that he will decline a new trial,\u201d Turley wrote on X. \u201cHowever, the coming review highlights the hyperbolic claims about the opinion as protecting any and all conduct of a president.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1692504\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1692504\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<p><\/body><\/html><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former President Donald Trump is seeking to use the Supreme Court&#8217;s ruling on presidential immunity to have his hush money conviction overturned. His attorneys argue that certain evidence, such as White House staff testimony and social media posts, should not have been used in the trial based on the court&#8217;s decision. The judge has allowed Trump&#8217;s attorneys to submit detailed arguments by July 10, with a decision on the conviction expected on September 6. Despite this, some legal experts believe the judge may ultimately deny Trump&#8217;s request for a new trial<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":2289062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24151823547800.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[15927,22021,5738,3634,32076],"class_list":["post-2289061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-conviction","tag-hush-money","tag-immunity","tag-trump","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24151823547800.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2289061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2289061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2289061\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2289062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2289061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2289061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2289061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}