Judge rules against Donald Trump bid to throw out hush money conviction

Donald Trump lashed out after a US court refused to throw out his conviction on covering up payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, calling the judge ‘corrupt, biased, and incompetent’

Donald Trump unleashed after a judge refused to throw out his conviction for covering up hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Judge Juan Merchan ruled that a Supreme Court decision granting presidents sweeping immunity for official acts did not apply as testimony at the trial related “entirely to unofficial conduct entitled to no immunity protections”.

The decision set off the president-elect on a 290-word Truth Social tirade calling it a “completely illegal, psychotic order”.

“The deeply conflicted, corrupt, biased, and incompetent Acting Justice Juan Merchan has completely disrespected the United States Supreme Court, and its Historic Decision on Immunity,” Mr Trump wrote.

“But even without Immunity, this illegitimate case is nothing but a Rigged Hoax. Merchan, who is a radical partisan, wrote an opinion that is knowingly unlawful, goes against our Constitution, and, if allowed to stand, would be the end of the Presidency as we know it.”

Mr Trump’s response comes close to breaching a gag order, with the president elect saying the order prevents him from exposing “his and his family’s disqualifying and illegal conflicts”.

”I am the only Political Opponent in American History not allowed to defend myself - A despicable First Amendment Violation!” Mr Trump said.

….I am the only Political Opponent in American History not allowed to defend myself - A despicable First Amendment Violation! Merchan took the Manhattan D.A.’s Witch Hunt, that, according to all Legal Scholars, including Jonathan Turley, Elie Honig, Andy McCarthy, Alan…

— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) December 17, 2024

The ruling raises the prospect that Mr Trump could become the first president to enter the White House with a felony conviction, pending his appeal against the jury’s verdict.

Mr Trump has long opposed the criminal process brought against him after he paid porn star Stormy Daniels for her silence and then covered up the payments in an effort to boost his chances in 2016’s election.

The judge in the only criminal case against Mr Trump that has gone to trial had indefinitely postponed Mr Trump’s sentencing at a hearing on November 22, given his win in the November 5 presidential election.

Mr Trump’s legal team had cited a landmark July ruling from the Supreme Court that gives US presidents sweeping immunity for official acts committed while in office as justification for their request to throw out this conviction.

Prosecutors argued that Mr Trump’s bid to have the case thrown out was “well beyond” what was needed to protect the presidency.

Porn star Stormy Daniels was at the centre of the hush money case against Donald Trump case.

It comes after Mr Trump revealed his next four major lawsuits after his $A25m defamation settlement against ABC News and presenter George Stephanopoulos.

The president-elect said he would be filing “major lawsuits” against Iowa newspaper The Des Moines Register, TV program 60 Minutes, veteran journalist Bob Woodward, and the Pulitzer Prize award organisation.

US President Donald Trump with news anchor George Stephanopoulos ahead of a town hall event at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 15, 2020. Picture: AFP

He also said he could move on to people with individual platforms and social media influencers.

“I think you have to do it, because they’re very dishonest. We need a great media, we need a fair media. It’s very important,” Mr Trump said. “You need a fair press. I see others. I have a few others that I’m doing … not because I want to, I’m doing this because I have an obligation to”.

Mr Trump said he would bring action against The Des Monies Register, in Iowa, in the next day due to “fraud and election interference” over a poll that showed him losing the state just before the election.

Veteran pollster Ann Seltzer predicted Kamala Harris would carry the state 47 per cent to 44 per cent. Mr Trump ultimately won by over 13 points.

“In my opinion, it was fraud and election interference,” he said.

Mr Trump said he would also bring legal action against veteran Watergate reporter Bob Woodward for misquoting him in a book despite the interview being recorded, and then selling the tapes of the interviews without permission.

Another would be brought against 60 Minutes for what Mr Trump said was misleadingly editing an interview with Ms Harris during the presidential campaign.

He also plans to bring a lawsuit against the prestigious Pulitzer Prizes organisation over awards to The New York Times and The Washington Post for coverage of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

“Well it turned out to be a hoax, and they were exactly wrong,” he said. “A lot of people got it right, they didn’t get anything. They gave it to reporters who got it absolutely wrong and now everybody admits it was a hoax.

“And I want them to take back the Pulitzer Prizes and pay big damages.”

TRUMP WINS $25M SETTLEMENT

Donald Trump has been awarded $US16 million (more than $A25 million) and a public apology after settling his defamation case against ABC News and presenter George Stephanopoulos.

The settlement was officially filed on Saturday, meaning both parties avoided having to take part in depositions that were expected to take hours. They had been ordered by Magistrate Judge Lisette Reid to complete these depositions before Christmas.

Under the terms of the agreement, ABC News will make a $US15 million ($A23.6 million) donation to a “Presidential foundation and museum to be established by or for [Trump], as is customary for U.S. Presidents”.

President-elect Donald Trump had a legal win against ABC News America and their news anchor George Stephanopoulos. Picture: Getty Images/AFP

In addition, the ABC will pay $US1 million ($A1.6 million) to cover Mr Trump’s legal fees.

The network and Mr Stephanopoulos also agreed to issue a public statement expressing “regret” over the online version of an article based on an interview that led to the lawsuit.

The statement, as outlined in the settlement, will read: “ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC’s This Week on March 10, 2024”.

Mr Trump filed the lawsuit in Miami federal court claiming Mr Stephanopoulos made repeated false statements in the interview, including that the President-elect had been “found liable for rape”.

The comments related to a 2023 Manhattan jury’s verdict, in which Mr Trump was found liable for sexually abusing former advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996, for which he was ordered to pay $US5 million in damages.

Mr Trump had sought unspecified damages in the lawsuit. He is yet to comment publicly on the settlement.