Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s effort to dismiss his hush money conviction on grounds of presidential immunity. Trump’s attorneys argued that testimony from former White House employees and other evidence violated a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling granting presumptive immunity for official acts. Merchan ruled the evidence pertained to personal conduct and did not infringe on presidential authority, calling any alleged errors harmless due to overwhelming evidence of guilt. Trump was convicted in May on thirty-four counts of falsifying business records linked to a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels. The president-elect awaits sentencing.
