Hush money for porn actress Immunity for Trump? Decision expected in trial
Taking office after his second victory in a US presidential election, Donald Trump will soon arrive at the pinnacle of his power. Does he still face punishment in the hush-money trial?
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- A major decision in the hush money trial against Donald Trump is expected in New York today, just one week after his renewed victory in the US presidential election.
- Judge Juan Merchan had already set November 12 as the date for this decision in September.
- If the judge grants the defense's request, the May conviction against Trump could be overturned.
- Otherwise, it remains unclear whether the sentencing planned for the end of November will go ahead.
One week after Donald Trump 's victory in the US presidential election, a decision on the Republican's possible immunity in the hush money trial is expected in New York today. At the beginning of September, Judge Juan Merchan set the date for this decision for November 12.
If he grants the 78-year-old's defense motion, the guilty verdict against Trump in May would probably be overturned. If, on the other hand, the judge rejects the application, the question remains as to whether the sentence currently scheduled for the end of November will stand.
Convicted felon as US president
A jury in New York found Trump guilty on 34 charges at the end of May. The trial concerned the illegal concealment of hush money payments to a porn actress in order to gain advantages in the 2016 presidential election campaign. It was the first time in the history of the United States that a former president was convicted of a criminal offense. Last week, Trump was elected US President as a convicted felon - a first in the country's history.
Originally, the sentence was to have been announced in mid-September. However, Judge Merchan then granted Trump's request that the sentence not be announced until after the presidential election. The Republican could theoretically face a prison sentence of several years in the worst case scenario. However, many observers considered a suspended sentence to be much more likely before the election. There has also never been a sentence handed down to a president-elect in the history of the USA.
Supreme Court's landmark ruling as leverage
Trump's defense had already tried everything possible during the trial to obstruct the proceedings and stop them altogether. A landmark ruling by the Supreme Court then came in handy for the US President-elect's lawyers: at the beginning of July, the US Supreme Court ruled with its right-wing conservative majority of judges that Trump enjoys immunity for certain official acts.
The New York hush money case is different in itself because it primarily revolves around Trump's actions as a presidential candidate before the 2016 election. However, the Supreme Court's ruling also states that official acts by US presidents are not admissible as evidence in criminal proceedings. Trump's lawyers argue that the prosecution in the case also relied on evidence from Trump's time in the White House.
dpa