New York Judge Juan Merchan has denied a request from ex-President Donald Trump to put a forthcoming criminal trial on allegations of falsifying business records on hold in light of Trump’s arguments of presidential immunity that are currently pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Presidential immunity” refers to a concept of legal protections covering a president’s acts in office, something Trump is trying to use to shut down his separate criminal case alleging attempted election interference. In the business records case, under dispute in connection to the immunity arguments was evidence tracing to that period, meaning Trump’s time in office.
Merchan, who is currently wading through a last-minute barrage of initiatives from the Trump team ahead of the trial scheduled to start in the middle of this month, pointed to the late timing of the Trump team’s presidential immunity-involved argument for a delay. The timing of their eventual filings “raises real questions about the sincerity and actual purpose of the motion,” the judge said, as highlighted by the Associated Press.
Trump’s team is also pushing — again — for Merchan to exit the proceedings entirely, pointing to purported political activities by his daughter, who has been involved with a company that’s worked for Democratic political causes. Merchan rejected an earlier push for his recusal, as it’s called, and prosecutors have filed characteristic opposition to the Trump team’s latest initiative.
The judge recently expanded the gag order imposed on Trump to also cover his own family and families of lawyers involved in the case up to the district attorney, expressing concerns that Trump’s rhetoric could create a cloud of fear and intimidation around individuals involved in the case. Trump was already blocked from making various public attacks on witnesses and jurors. He predictably characterized the restrictions as overly sweeping in subsequent public complaints, though he can discuss the judge and district attorney. Prosecutors argued for action by the judge after Trump started publicly targeting the judge’s daughter, who’s not involved in the case.
