‘No immunity’ for Trump in hush money case

A judge has thrown out Donald Trump’s bid to have his conviction for covering up hush money payments to a porn star quashed on immunity grounds.

Porn star Stormy Daniels was paid off by Donald Trump.

A judge has thrown out Donald Trump’s bid to have his conviction for covering up hush money payments to a porn star quashed on immunity grounds.

Judge Juan Merchan said 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”.

Monday’s ruling in New York raises the prospect that the US president-elect 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 sought to have the case moved to federal court, which would give him the power to end the case himself as soon as he retook the presidency.

He has also challenged the conviction on several technical grounds, including alleging juror misconduct.

Mr Trump has long opposed the criminal process after he paid porn star Stormy Daniels for her silence over an alleged sexual encounter, then covered up the payments in an effort to boost his chances in the 2016 election.

His 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.

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

But prosecutors accepted Mr Trump should receive special treatment to prevent the case interfering with his second White House stint.

“Multiple accommodations well short of dismissal... would satisfy that objective, including a stay of proceedings during his term in office,” the prosecutor’s office said.

Prosecutors convinced a jury during the hush money trial that Mr Trump’s payments were made to cover up a scandal that would have hurt his 2016 campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton, whom he ultimately beat.

Last month, his lawyers separately asked New York Attorney-General Letitia James to quash a civil judgment against him for fraud and a $US464m penalty “for the greater good of the country” as he prepares to return to power. The request was denied.

AFP