Donald Trump’s conviction is hanging over his head. What happens next is critical.
And now a top lawyer has hit Donald Trump with major news ahead of his conviction sentencing.
Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, has expressed skepticism that Judge Juan Merchan will dismiss evidence against former President Donald Trump in the Manhattan hush money case, despite delaying the sentencing.
Merchan postponed Trump’s sentencing from July 11 to September 18 following a Supreme Court ruling that presidents have immunity from prosecution for “official acts” performed while in office. However, Turley believes that based on Merchan’s history of ruling against Trump, the sentencing delay may be the only significant change resulting from the Supreme Court’s decision.
Turley explained on The Story With Martha MacCallum that the defense might argue that evidence related to Trump’s presidential actions, such as conversations with Hope Hicks about his behavior in the Oval Office, should not have been presented to the jury. The prosecution, however, is likely to contend that removing this testimony would not have altered the outcome, given the strength of their case.
“The expectation is that Judge Merchan is not going to be inclined to order a new trial. The argument here is that you did indeed trip the wire during the trial because they incorporated conversations with people like Hope Hicks who gave her impressions about what the president was like in the Oval Office,” Professor Turley shared on Fox News during his appearance.
“There was other testimony that was incorporated. The prosecutors included those points in their closing argument. So the defense is going to say you really can’t make that cat walk backwards,” he continued.
The legal expert anticipates that Judge Merchan will likely rule against Trump again, as he has done historically. This means that while the sentencing has been delayed, it is still expected to occur in September.
“You used this information. It’s not clear how it influenced the jury. The prosecutors are going to argue that this is sort of what is sometimes called a harmless error defense for prosecutors, an argument for prosecutors,” Turley added to his comments.
Turley concluded saying, “That you can remove that testimony and it wouldn’t have made any difference, that the evidence was so strong in the view of the prosecution that it was harmless. So the question is whether Judge Merchan is going to be persuaded. He has historically ruled against the president, the expectation is that he will do so again. And that this will delay it but sentencing is still going to come in September.”
Jonathan Turley Says Judge Merchan Unlikely To Dismiss Evidence Against Trump Despite Delaying Sentencing pic.twitter.com/uxZEc862Hj
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 2, 2024
In May, a New York jury convicted Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The recent Supreme Court ruling established that presidents have “absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority” and “presumptive immunity” for all official acts.
Trump’s legal team has argued that some evidence introduced during the Manhattan trial, including his tweets and public addresses as president, should not have been presented to the jury based on this ruling. However, Turley’s analysis suggests that these arguments may not sway Judge Merchan to dismiss the evidence or order a new trial.
What’s Next In The Trump Manhattan Case
The Donald Trump Manhattan trial itself is over, but the real moment of truth is what happens when it comes time for sentencing to be decided on by Judge Merchan overseeing the case.
No doubt, if Donald Trump is given the leeway to be free until after the conclusion of the 2024 presidential election, he would likely just pardon himself if he wins a second term in the Oval Office as he is currently expected to do. That’s the real matter at hand.
However, even if he is given a sentence he is supposed to start before the conclusion of the election in November, it’s hard to say if this would even have any impact on the outcome of the election at all. Americans are already extremely skeptical that this case, as well as others brought against Trump, are even remotely fair.
It could very well be that the Trump presidency is inevitable if he actually runs against Joe Biden and the Democrats don’t try to switch out Biden for someone else without nearly as much political baggage at the last minute.
But that actually may be the case based on the rumors flying around left and right about the likes of Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer being possible replacements.
The Conservative Column will keep you updated on any major updates in the Trump legal cases.
