Manhattan DA Opposes Trump's Bid to Dismiss Hush Money Case

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has formally requested that a New York judge reject former President Donald Trump’s motion to dismiss his hush money case, which Trump claims should be thrown out on the grounds of presidential immunity. In a court filing made public on Thursday, Bragg’s office argued that a recent Supreme Court ruling regarding presidential immunity does not apply to Trump’s case, emphasizing that it would not support the dismissal of the indictment or the jury's unanimous verdict. Trump was convicted in May for falsifying records related to a payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election campaign. Following the Supreme Court's decision on July 1, which stated that certain evidence involving a president's official acts cannot be used against them in criminal prosecution, Trump sought to have the trial and charges dismissed. His legal team contends that evidence presented at trial, including communications with former White House aide Hope Hicks, was improperly admitted based on this ruling. Prosecutors countered that even if some evidence cited by Trump’s attorneys were deemed protected by presidential immunity, the conviction should still stand due to the "overwhelming" amount of other evidence against him. They also noted that Trump's legal team had previously raised immunity arguments that did not include the evidence now in question, suggesting that they failed to preserve the right to introduce these new claims. Judge Juan Merchan is expected to rule on the motion to dismiss the verdict on September 6, with sentencing scheduled for September 18 if deemed necessary.