New York prosecutors defend Trump convictions -An Actual Brave Act

Aysha Bagchi USA TODAY (if only USAT were brave enough to state they’re election interference convictions, instead of calling them hush money convictions!)

Manhattan prosecutors urged a New York criminal court to keep President-elect Donald Trump‘s hush money case alive, even if sentencing is pushed out past Trump’s next presidential term.

“President-elect immunity does not exist,” lawyers from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office wrote in the court filing made public Tuesday. “At most, (Trump) should receive temporary accommodations during his presidency to prevent this criminal case from meaningfully interfering with his official decision-making.”

Trump was convicted May 30 on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. He was originally scheduled for sentencing in July, but the sentencing date was repeatedly pushed back.

Trump is now arguing that sentencing should be cancelled and the case should be dismissed as a result of his election.

“Burdening the Presidency with a biased prosecution by a local prosecutor would be not only unconstitutional, but also unbearably undemocratic to the people of this country who chose President Trump as their leader,” Trump’s legal team wrote in a motion calling for the case’s dismissal.

Prosecutors float option of not sentencing Trump

Trump is making various legal arguments for getting the case tossed out, including that its continued existence – even with sentencing pushed out past his next presidential term – would improperly interfere with his upcoming presidency.

It “would be egregious and unlawful for this Court to hold the prospect of a 2029 sentencing over President Trump’s head while he continues his service to this Country,” Trump’s legal team wrote in his motion.

But Manhattan prosecutors said in the new filing that there are multiple options short of throwing out the jury’s verdict that would address concerns about interfering with Trump’s upcoming presidency.

If Trump isn’t sentenced before he takes office, remaining steps in the case could be paused until his term is over, prosecutors said.

Or, if Judge Juan Merchan is worried that simply pausing the case would improperly burden Trump’s presidency, Merchan could close the case while still putting a note in the court record stating that the jury’s verdict removed Trump’s presumption of innocence but he was never sentenced and his conviction was neither upheld nor struck down on appeal.

“On the one hand, this remedy would prevent defendant from being burdened during his presidency by an ongoing criminal proceeding,” prosecutors said. (snip-MORE)