Trump loses longshot bid to erase hush money conviction
Axios · LC · trust 65/100
Add Axios on Google President Trump appears in court for his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30, 2024. Photo: Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images)
A federal judge again declined to erase President Trump 's hush money conviction on Friday, noting that the president's arguments were "neither new nor legally sufficient."
Why it matters: The loss is another blow to the president, who has sought to get the conviction of 34 felony counts for falsifying business records thrown out after the Supreme Court ruled presidents have immunity for "official acts."
What they're saying: "There is no way that discussions regarding hush money payments to cover up the President's relations with Stormy Daniels could be an official act," Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein wrote in a 35-page filing published Friday.
Catch up quick: Trump was convicted in May 2024 on all counts of falsifying business records, making him the first U.S. president to become a convicted felon.
Zoom in: Trump sought to move the state case to federal court following a 2025 Supreme Court ruling that allowed former presidents immunity for certain acts done in their constitutional scope of office.
Zoom out: Hellerstein also determined that SCOTUS' immunity ruling didn't protect the president from the state's case. Nor did testimony given during the trial by former White House Press Secretary Hope Hicks, staffer Madeleine Westerhout, or Cohen violate his immunity.
What they're saying: "The Supreme Court's historic decision on Immunity, the Federal and New York State Constitutions, and other established legal precedent mandate that the Witch Hunt perpetrated by the Manhattan DA be removed to federal court, and immediately overturned and dismissed," a spokesman for President Trump's Legal Team told Axios in an emailed statement.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information throughout.
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