On Tuesday, a federal judge detailed that former President Donald Trump is not immune to prosecution under the United States Constitution in another hush money case which could potentially broaden the legal pursuits associated with the alleged schemes aimed at keeping adult film star Stormy Daniels from revealing information about affairs she alleges she had with the now former president during the election campaigns.
The verdict was reached after Trump’s lawyers sought to get the charges thrown out because Trump could not be prosecuted for the alleged offense while still in office. The case is based on allegations that Trump paid Daniels $ 130,000 to keep quiet regarding an affair allegedly going on only weeks before the election in 2016. Trump has been indicted by the federal prosecutors for several offenses among them being conspiracy, campaign finance, and burying the evidence in counts related to the hush money payments.
Trump’s legal team explained that all these acts are within the purview of the President by the Constitution of the United States of America. They attempted to bring forward the argument that the very actions Trump painted to be personal were, in any way, part of his other roles as a celebrity and a commander of a nation. Under this reasoning and further, under the argument of executive immunity, the lawyers also stated that the immunity was assured even if it entailed private individuals and indeed private conduct..
However, U.S. District Judge [name of judge] handling the case dismissed this argument with the words that the actions done had nothing to do with official presidential duties. The alleged actions were personal and involved no official presidential actions or functions. The judge further observed that no judicial precedents supported the notion that the president was immune from prosecution based on alleged criminal activity unrelated to presidential functions.
The ruling is a significant defeat for Trump in the legal proceedings and can be considered one step back in his chances of getting the case dismissed. Trump’s lawyers say they will file an appeal against the court’s ruling. The hearing is expected to continue in the coming months, and the next dates are set for [dates].
This decision fits within a larger pattern of lawsuits and investigations against Trump that target his business practices, his meddling with elections, and the management of classified documents. Experts have warned that the result in this case will determine how far the courts are willing to stretch in future actions brought against sitting or former presidents.
