A New York federal judge has suggested denying a request by former President Donald Trump to transfer his criminal case over irregular payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels to federal court, saying he expects to issue a formal decision within two weeks.
On April 4, Trump became the first US president to face criminal charges after being indicted by Manhattan prosecutors on 34 counts in connection with the $130,000 he paid Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign to hide the alleged sexual relationship. they had ten years before.
Trump has pleaded not guilty in the case, which is scheduled for March 2024.
Meanwhile, through his lawyers, Trump has tried to argue that the process should be held in federal court because the illegalities of which the Prosecutor’s Office accuses him took place between February and December 2017, when he was president.
But after a hearing of about three hours, federal judge Alvin Hellerstein said that “the act for which the president has been charged is not related to anything under the authority of his office,” according to local media, including ABC News. .
“I am preparing to write and issue a decision within two weeks,” added the magistrate.
Transferring the case to federal court, the media say, would undermine the authority of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, give Trump’s lawyers an opportunity to seek a dismissal for presidential immunity, and in general would probably contribute to delaying the process.
Estimated trial dates could conflict with the GOP primary schedule when Trump is well positioned as a frontrunner, hampering his aspirations to return to the White House.
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