Former president Donald Trump’s attorneys are seeking to delay his March 25 hush money trial until the Supreme Court rules on the presidential immunity claims he raised in another of his criminal cases. Trump’s lawyers filed a 26-page motion on Monday requesting that asked Manhattan Judge Juan Manuel Merchan to adjourn the New York criminal trial indefinitely until Trump’s immunity claim in his Washington, D.C., election interference case is resolved. Merchan did not immediately rule, and the Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to comment. Prosecutors are expected to respond to Trump’s delay request in court papers later this week.
Trump contends he is immune from prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office, with his attorneys arguing that some of the evidence and alleged acts in the hush-money case overlap with his time in the White House and constitute official acts. Trump first raised the immunity issue in his Washington D.C. criminal case, which involves allegations that he worked to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the run-up to the violent riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments April 25, a month after the scheduled start of jury selection in Trump’s hush money case. It is the first of his four criminal cases slated to go to trial as he closes in on the Republican presidential nomination in his quest to retake the White House.
Trump pleaded not guilty last year to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and has denied having a sexual encounter with Daniels, stating that the payments to Cohen were legitimate legal expenses and not part of any cover-up.
Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com
