Judge Juan Merchan denied Donald Trump’s motion to vacate his guilty verdict in a hush money trial on the grounds of presidential immunity. Trump’s attorneys argued that the indictment and verdict should be thrown out after a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity, but Merchan disagreed, citing overwhelming evidence of guilt presented by prosecutors. The case involved Trump’s ex-lawyer Michael Cohen paying off porn star Stormy Daniels in the 2016 election. Merchan also postponed sentencing while considering Trump’s motions to dismiss the case, including one involving allegations of juror misconduct. Trump, who is set to be sworn in as president on Jan. 20, has another motion pending. Trump’s spokesman criticized the ruling as a violation of Supreme Court decisions on immunity and called for the case to be dismissed based on the Constitution. Prosecutors argued that evidence of Trump’s official acts didn’t affect the verdict and should be allowed. The order didn’t specify the nature of the alleged juror misconduct, and a new sentencing date has not been set. Adam Reiss, Laura Jarrett, and Dareh Gregorian contributed to this report.
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