前总统特朗普正在寻求推迟他的判决刑事封口费案直到2024年总统大选之后,他认为目前的9月18日宣判日期推进了他的律师所说的检察官的“赤裸裸的选举干预目标”
根据美国最高法院的判决,法官胡安·马科姆已经应特朗普的要求推迟了一次判决最近的决定总统豁免权。
特朗普原定于7月11日被判刑。法官Merchan上个月裁定他将在9月16日对特朗普的豁免权主张做出裁决,并在两天后做出判决。
辩护律师周四在给法官的一封信中写道,“这一时间表明,就第一印象总统豁免权问题做出决定和前所未有的无端判决之间可能只有一天,这是多么不合理。”
特朗普的律师质疑判决是否应该在提前投票开始后进行,认为这一时机损害了诉讼程序的完整性。
“最后,撇开赤裸裸的干预选举的目的不谈,法院没有有效的抵消理由将目前的判决日期保留在日历上。没有继续冲下去的基础,”辩护律师写道。
特朗普要求推迟是在Merchan sharply之后一天批评辩护律师因为在他们的动议中提出了“不准确和未经证实的指控”,基于他的女儿和副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯之间所谓的利益冲突,要求Merchan回避此案。梅尔曼否认了这项动议。
尽管Merchan否认了他们的回避动议,但特朗普的律师在敦促推迟判决的信中再次提出了他们关于“冲突和不当行为的出现”的论点。
特朗普是5月被定罪所有34项伪造商业记录的指控都与向成人电影女演员斯托米·丹尼尔斯支付封口费有关,以提高他在2016年总统选举中的选举前景。
Trump asks to push back his hush money sentencing date until after election
Former President Trump is seeking to push back sentencing in hiscriminal hush money caseuntil after the 2024 presidential election, arguing that the current sentencing date of Sept. 18 advances what his attorneys call prosecutors' "naked election-interference objectives."
Judge Juan Merchan has already delayed sentencing once, at Trump's request, following the U.S. Supreme Court'srecent decisionon presidential immunity.
Trump was originally scheduled to be sentenced on July 11. Judge Merchanruled last monththat he would rule on Trump's immunity claim on Sept. 16 and impose sentencing two days later.
"That timing illustrates just how unreasonable it is to have the potential for only a single day between a decision on first-impression Presidential immunity issues and an unprecedented and unwarranted sentencing," defense lawyers wrote in a letter to judge on Thursday.
Trump's lawyers questioned whether sentencing should take place after the start of early voting, arguing that the timing harms the integrity of the proceedings.
"Finally, setting aside naked election-interference objectives, there is no valid countervailing reason for the Court to keep the current sentencing date on the calendar. There is no basis for continuing to rush," defense lawyers wrote.
Trump's request for a delay comes one day after Merchan sharplycriticized defense lawyersfor raising "inaccurate and unsubstantiated claims" in their motion to have Merchan recused from the case based on an alleged conflict of interest involving his daughter and Vice President Kamala Harris. Merchan denied the motion.
Despite Merchan denying their recusal motion, Trump's lawyers again raised their arguments about "conflicts and appearances of impropriety" in their letter urging a delayed sentencing.
Trump wasconvicted in Mayon all 34 counts of falsifying business records connected to a hush payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.