Former US President and 2024 Republican presidential hopeful, Donald Trump, captivated the audience with his gestures about weightlifting as he spoke at a Republican volunteer recruitment event at Fervent, a Calvary Chapel, in Las Vegas on July 8, 2023.
Mario Tama | Getty Images
In a recent legal development, former President Donald Trump’s attempt to transfer his New York state court case concerning a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels to federal court was denied on Wednesday.
This decision by Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein ensures that Trump will proceed to trial in Manhattan Supreme Court on March 25, 2024, facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Hellerstein dismissed Trump’s argument that the case should be heard in federal court due to his status as a former U.S. president and the alleged conduct being linked to acts performed “under color of office.”
In an order, Hellerstein remarked, “Trump has failed to show that the conduct charged by the Indictment is for or related to any act performed by or for the President under color of the official acts of a President.”
The judge further emphasized, “The evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the matter was purely a personal item of the President, a cover-up of an embarrassing event.”
The case revolves around mischaracterized records that attributed payments made by Trump and the Trump Organization to his former personal attorney Michael Cohen during his presidency.
While Trump claimed these payments were for legal services, they were actually intended to reimburse Cohen for a $130,000 payment to Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election.
Daniels was compensated by Cohen to keep quiet about her alleged sexual encounter with Trump, which she claims occurred a decade earlier, while Melania Trump had recently given birth to their son Barron Trump. The former president denies these allegations.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s spokesperson, Alvin Bragg, expressed satisfaction with the federal court’s decision and stated, “We are very pleased with the federal court’s decision and look forward to proceeding in New York State Supreme Court.”
Joseph Tacopina, one of Trump’s lawyers, refrained from commenting on the ruling at the time.
However, Trump’s campaign spokesman released a statement, accusing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of corruption and stating, “Corrupt Democrat Alvin Bragg is abusing his power to help his boss Crooked Joe Biden and his lazy, losing presidential campaign.”
The spokesman went on to denounce the Democrats for politicizing the judicial system, calling it a “disgraceful abuse of the public trust” and asserting that they are determined to prevent Trump’s re-election. The statement concluded with a promise to exhaust all legal avenues to transfer the case to federal court.
In the case at hand, Trump has pleaded not guilty.
Additionally, he has pleaded not guilty in a separate federal criminal case in Florida, where he faces numerous charges related to retaining classified records after leaving office.
Trump, who is currently running for the 2024 Republican nomination, holds the distinction of being the first president, serving or otherwise, to face criminal charges.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
