Appeals Court AIIows Trump To Revive Effort to Overturn ‘Hush Money’ Conviction

Trump is seeking to transfer the case from New York state court to federal court, arguing that a federal judge should dismiss the jury’s 34-count guilty verdict based on the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity, The Hill reported.

A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit said it “cannot be confident” that the lower court properly weighed Trump’s arguments in his effort to transfer the case to federal court.

“The court bypassed what we consider to be important issues bearing on the ultimate issue of good cause,” the panel noted in its ruling.

“We leave it to the able and experienced District Judge to decide whether to solicit further briefing from the parties or hold a hearing to help it resolve these issues,” the panel added.

The panel included U.S. Circuit Judges Raymond Lohier and Susan Carney, both appointed by former President Obama, as well as U.S. Circuit Judge Myrna Pérez, who was appointed by former President Biden.

Trump was convicted last year on charges of falsifying business records related to payments intended to conceal an alleged affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.

“President Trump continues to win in his fight against Radical Democrat Lawfare,” a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said in a statement. “The Supreme Court’s historic decision on Immunity, the Federal and New York State Constitutions, and other established legal precedent mandate that the Witch Hunt perpetrated by the Manhattan DA be immediately overturned and dismissed.”

“President Trump will keep defeating Democrat weaponization at every turn as he focuses on his singular mission to Make America Great Again,” the spokesperson added.

It’s been a rough few weeks for James as she battles her own personal court case.

The judge presiding over New York Attorney General Letitia James’ mortgage fraud case on Friday rejected a motion seeking to compel federal prosecutors to maintain a log of all their communications with the media.

Defense attorney Abbe Lowell had filed the request last week, following James’ arraignment on charges of bank fraud and making false statements. The motion cited a report alleging that U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan exchanged a series of encrypted Signal messages with a reporter regarding the case, the New York Post reported.

Walker further wrote that while Halligan’s Signal chat with Lawfare senior editor Anna Bower earlier this month was “unusual,” he nevertheless declined to offer an opinion “on whether they were improper in any sense, either legal or ethical.”

He went on to order federal prosecutors to follow all rules of the court but did not suggest that they had violated any so far.

He also ordered a “litigation hold preventing the deletion or destruction of any records or communications having to do with the investigation or prosecution of this case.”

Halligan’s Signal messages to the reporter were configured to automatically disappear after eight hours, The Post reported.

The judge did not address whether Halligan’s communications — which reportedly disputed a New York Times story revealing that James’ grandniece told a grand jury she had never paid rent on the Norfolk, Va., property at the center of the case — constituted material subject to discovery requirements.

In response to James’ motion, federal prosecutors requested that Judge Walker impose a gag order on the New York attorney general — a request he declined.

James pleaded not guilty last week to one count of bank fraud and one count of making a false statement to a financial institution.

According to the indictment, the longtime Trump adversary purchased a three-bedroom, one-bathroom home on Peronne Avenue in Norfolk on August 17, 2020, using a $109,600 loan that included a “second home rider” identifying her as the sole occupant. That designation allegedly allowed James to secure more favorable mortgage terms, saving her nearly $19,000.

However, prosecutors say the home “was not occupied or used” by James, but “was instead used as a rental investment property” to house her grandniece, Nakia Thompson.

If convicted on both counts, James faces up to 60 years in prison and a $2 million fine.

Related Posts

Judge Rules lRS Broke Law by Sharing Taxpayer Data With Trump Admin

A federal judge ruled Friday that the IRS likely broke the law when it agreed to share confidential taxpayer information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and…

Schumer Blasts GOP’s “BBB” Package, Warns of Major Consequences

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer delivered one of his most dramatic critiques yet of President Donald Trump’s signature legislative proposal, the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” warning that…

Door Open to 2028 Presidential Run as GOP Foreign-Policy Rift Widens

As Republicans debate America’s role on the world stage, Cruz positions himself as a forceful voice on national security — and refuses to rule out a future…

White House Placed on Lockdown After Multiple People Shot Near Pennsylvania Avenue — National Guard Members Among the Victims

A routine autumn afternoon in Washington, D.C., turned to chaos on Monday when multiple people were shot just blocks from the White House, including two members of…

DOJ Backs Texas in Supreme Court Fight Over Republican-Drawn Map

The Department of Justice on Monday backed the state of Texas in its redistricting dispute, arguing that the new congressional map approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature does…

Trump Could Announce New Fed Chair By Christmas: Bessent

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated on Tuesday that he is completing the second round of interviews for the upcoming chairperson of the Federal Reserve, and noted that…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *